


This Means War

by rubberduckz84



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Comedy, F/M, Feud, Quidditch, Romance, gryffindor vs slytherin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-27
Updated: 2020-03-07
Packaged: 2021-02-27 23:20:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 62,965
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22923982
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rubberduckz84/pseuds/rubberduckz84
Summary: All their lives, Oliver Wood and Marcus Flint have been rivals. From quidditch to making top marks in class, to being considered the most eligible bachelor in the Quidditch League. But now that they are both playing for Puddlemere United, they’ve finally managed to let bygones be bygones. That is… until Katie Bell’s cousin enters the picture…
Relationships: Marcus Flint/Original Female Character(s), Oliver Wood/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 31





	1. At Long Last Peace

**At Long Last Peace**

Oliver wiped the sweat off his brow as he balanced on his broom, watching as the chasers moved down the field in formation. The closer they got to him, the more tense his body got, his focus zeroing in on the quaffle as they tossed it back and forth at lightning speed. A small smile came over his face as he recognized the chaser in the lead and knew exactly which hoop he was going to aim for, even at this distance. He leaned forward, gripping his broom tightly and hovering just below the middle hoop, waiting and ready to make his move.

Flint always was rubbish at hiding his tells from Oliver. Though they did have several years of experience playing against each other, so it wasn’t as though it was difficult. Helped that Oliver was easily one of the better keepers in the British and Irish Quidditch League. Not just anyone could predict plays or scores like he could.

His teammates were constantly asking what his secret was, and he constantly infuriated them by replying it was hours of practice and conditioning. As though there were a magical spell he used. The idea of it made Oliver laugh.

And there was the fact that a lot of it came from the fact that he watched a lot of quidditch matches when he wasn’t playing. Had devoted a good portion of his life to the game. And his friends certainly had _a lot_ to say about that. Most of which Oliver conveniently ignored. Especially when it came to them teasing him about his lack of a love life.

The chasers came closer and closer, but Oliver stayed still, the only thing moving his eyes. At the last second, he shot over to the left, catching the quaffle easily. A smug grin came over his face as he tossed it up in the air and caught it a few times. 

“Gonna have to try harder than that to get passed me,” he shouted before throwing it back through the air. Flint caught it easily as well, a dark look on his face.

“Knock it off, Wood!” Wilda Griffiths shouted, though she was smiling. “You’re teammates now! Stop trying to rile him up!” Oliver kept smirking until Flint finally smiled slightly and chuckled.

“At least I’m not playing against you anymore,” he said before tossing the quaffle over to Griffiths. 

“Suppose there’s that,” Oliver admitted.

“Alright you lot, bring it in!” the coach shouted. The team flew down and landed in the center of the pitch and waited. Coach Smithers walked up and looked around the group. “That was a good practice, though we need to tighten up a bit.” He looked at the three chasers. “I want those formations flawless. No room for anyone to get in.” He then looked at Oliver. “Nice saves. Keep the speed up…” He went through a few more notes before nodding. “Alright, hit the showers and I’ll see you lot tomorrow.” He then turned and walked off. 

The team started back to the locker room, Flint falling into step with Oliver. 

“Nearly got that last one through,” Flint said. Oliver chuckled and glanced at him.

“Not nearly,” he replied. Flint frowned. “Going to need to bring up your speed. But not like you need it against me. Certainly, ready for the Falcons, though.” Flint snorted slightly.

“Like I’d have to try that hard. Their keeper’s shite,” he retorted. “You saw how many he let through in their last match with the Magpies. It’ll be a joke when we play them.”

“Aye, but every so often he’s got a good move or two in him,” Oliver replied. “Might happen to have his rare good game with us.”

“There we are. From rivals to teammates,” Roger Davies said, coming up from behind them with a bright grin on his face. “Only took a season to get you lot to stop fighting in the locker room.”

Both Flint and Wood shot him annoyed looks. 

Yes, it had taken the better part of a season to get them to stop glowering at each other and making snide remarks. But they certainly hadn’t been brawling in the Puddlemere locker room. Well… not after the first few months. After they had nearly started slugging each other the sixth time. Smithers had threatened to suspend them until Griffiths had the idea of locking them in the locker room until they worked things out with their words rather than their fists. 

It had taken the entire night and most of the next day, but they finally talked through some things and got to the point where they wouldn’t kill each other. Taken a fair bit longer for the two to become cordial on a daily basis.

But it seemed that finally - once and for all - the feud between Oliver Wood of Gryffindor and Marcus Flint of Slytherin had come to an end. Though you wouldn’t hear either call the other best friend. Or even friend, really. But at least they were no longer at each other’s throats.

Their respective friends considered it a miracle second only to the fall of Voldemort.

“Stop it,” Griffiths said, playfully shoving Davies aside. “No one needs your cheek today.”

“What cheek? I don’t have cheek!” Davies declared loudly, causing most of the team to roll their eyes. The chaser annoyed them more often than not. And certainly more than Wood and Flint’s incessant fighting had. At least they could place bets on that.

They kept walking into the locker room, each player going to their locker and starting to strip down. 

“Thank Merlin it’s nearly the weekend,” the seeker, Maddie O’Connell, said with a happy sigh as she moved to pull off her practice robe. “Don’t know about you lot, but I’m intending to enjoy it.”

“You enjoy every weekend,” one of the beaters, Miles Pendleton, shouted at her with a grin.

“And usually you’re right there enjoying it with me,” she replied with a wink, her green eyes dancing.

“Oi, lay off, you two. It’s bad enough I have to walk in on you every other day snogging in the locker room,” Davies shouted, frowning at the pair. Oliver just chuckled and shook his head as the seeker and beater gave him dirty looks.

He was of the mind that the two should save it for one of their flats as well, but he knew how wicked Maddie’s right hook was.

“I have no idea what you’re referring to,” Maddie said primly as she pulled her jersey off and tossed it into her locker. Though she shot another wink to Pendleton as she shimmied out of her trousers.

“You’re just jealous, is all,” Pendleton replied. Davies rolled his eyes. 

“I’ve got a date this weekend, if you must know,” he replied haughtily. 

“With who? Your hand?” Maddie asked lightly. Davies cheeks turned red as he scowled at her. 

“What are you up to, Wood?” White then asked, diverting the conversation before Davies said something that would earn him another black eye.

“Just resting up, I suppose,” he replied as he continued to get undressed. “Might catch some matches.”

“We rarely get entire free weekends and you’re seriously going to fill it with quidditch?” Maddie asked him, her eyes wide. Oliver chuckled. He wasn’t sure just why she was shocked. It’s not like he had done much differently in all the years they had been playing together.

If he wasn’t playing in a match, he was in the players box watching one. Had to stay up on all the other teams’ plays and all.

“Should have seen him in school,” Flint said. Oliver narrowed his eyes slightly as he looked over at the chaser. “Much worse.” 

“Alright, so just what are you up to this weekend?” Oliver asked, turning to look at him. Flint shrugged.

“Usual. Out with the lads,” he replied, still getting undressed. “Pucey’s got this new club he wants to try.”

Figured. If Marcus Flint wasn’t playing in a match, he was out with Pucey, Warrington or Higgs – or all three – picking up women at some hot new club or bar. He had always been a bit of a ladies’ man at school and that had only continued and increased since then.

“Should take Wood with you. Perhaps he could finally find a woman to distract him from quidditch,” Pendleton said. Oliver turned to glare at the beater as Davies laughed loudly.

“That’ll be the day. When Wood and Flint go out on the prowl together… Merlin...,” he said, trying to catch his breath.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Oliver griped, now frowning at him.

While he didn’t say anything, Marcus had also turned his dark eyes to the chaser, a curious look on his face as though he were daring Davies to continue. Davies took in both of their expressions and stopped laughing immediately, gulping.

“Nothing,” he said, turning back to his locker.

“Wood on the prowl… that’ll be the day,” Griffiths said, smirking at him. “Merlin knows, he’d probably date a quaffle if it were possible.” Oliver just sighed and shook his head. Wasn’t the first time he had heard that line. He was long used to it. Though he sometimes wished they would come up with something new. “And Flint, well… we all know your type…”

“Now, what’s that supposed to mean?” Flint shot at the team captain who chuckled softly. 

“Let me see… tall, blonde and busty, I believe. The dumber the better,” Maddie said, pulling her long red hair out of her bun.

“Do not,” Flint said. 

“That’s what your last three birds have been,” White added. 

“And the ones you dated at Hogwarts,” Davies continued. “In fact, the only brunette I think I ever saw you talk to was-” He stopped speaking when he saw the glower that the chaser was sending him. “Nevermind,” he squeaked, turning back to his locker.

“Alright, I know I played along, but enough. Let’s not hurt poor Wood and Flint’s feelings,” Griffiths said as she pulled on a robe and grabbed her towel. She winked at the two as she walked by. 

“I do not have a type!” Flint shouted. Griffiths just snorted in response. 

“You do too. So does Wood - any girl who can talk quidditch more than he can,” White said as he started towards the men’s showers. “And as she doesn’t exist, we now understand why he’s perpectually single.”

“That is not fair,” Wood shouted after him. 

“It’s accurate,” Pendleton said. Oliver sputtered a bit as the others continued to laugh on their way to the showers. He turned and looked at Flint, who was tossing a towel over his shoulder.

“I don’t… that’s not,” he stopped. Flint just chuckled and shook his head.

“Whatever,” he replied.

~~~

Oliver couldn’t help but stew throughout his shower and then as he got dressed. 

He was not obsessed with quidditch. He had had girlfriends. Dated. Just he hadn’t met many women that kept his fancy for long. No one seemed quite right. Was that such a bad thing? Waiting to meet the right person?

“Wouldn’t let it bother you,” Marcus said quietly, glancing around at the others. Oliver looked over at him, eyes wide. It wasn’t like him to be offering Oliver any sort of comfort.

“Doesn’t. Been hearing it for years,” Oliver said as he finished tying up his trainers. Marcus just chuckled as he slung his team bag over his shoulder. Oliver followed him the two walking out of the locker room together.

“You could join us this weekend, if you want,” Marcus offered. “Usually a fair amount of lovely birds out wherever Pucey drags me.”

“I really am going to catch a few matches. And well… got plans tomorrow,” Oliver said. Before he could say more, a cheerful blonde woman bounced up to the two, throwing her arms around Oliver’s neck.

“There you are, Wood. Been looking all over for you,” she said, a bright grin on her face. She then looked over. “Hiya, Flint.”

“Bell,” he replied, smiling slightly. The bright healer tended to have that effect on everyone. She turned her attention back to Oliver as she let go of him.

“Just wanted to remind you about tomorrow. Don’t be late,” she said. “It’s a big deal.”

“Hadn’t forgotten,” he replied. She grinned and then kissed him on the cheek before turning and walking off, her medic robes flowing behind her.

“See you at 7 pm, sharp!” she called out over her shoulder.

“So that’s why you were so bothered. You do have a date, don’t you?” Marcus asked, grinning slightly. “Been wondering when you’d get around to asking Bell out.” Oliver snorted as they started walking down the corridor again.

“Kates? Merlin, no,” he replied. “Been friends far too long for that sort of thing... Her cousin just moved back in town and we’re all going out tomorrow. Used to hang out back in Hogwarts.” 

Marcus stopped, a look of concentration coming over his face.

“Bell’s cousin?” he asked. Oliver chuckled.

“Yea, she’s got several… You don’t remember Adam, Bernard, Charlie and Lottie Bell?” Oliver asked as he stopped and looked back at him. “Adam and Bernard were in Gryffindor - few years older. But Charlie and Lottie were in our year. Ravenclaw. Lottie moved to the US just after we left school and has just come back. That’s who we’re all meeting tomorrow.” 

A look of recognition came over Marcus’ face as a face entered his mind.

“Smelly Bells?” he asked, looking over at Wood. Oliver chuckled and nodded.

“Merlin, can’t believe you still call her that,” he said,starting to walk again. Marcus caught up to him. “It was _one_ mishap in second year potions.”

“Can’t help it. It stuck,” Marcus said. “Didn’t really help herself, did she? Always walking around in those horrid glasses and such…”

The poor girl had practically painted a target on her back, from what Flint remembered. Wasn’t like he and his friends had been the only one to tease her. Even some Hufflepuffs had gotten in on it. Though looking back, he couldn’t help but feel a bit bad about it. She had been rather kind. Quiet.

Unfortunately, she blushed far too easily, and he had enjoyed seeing it fly over her face a bit too much.

“Not like she didn’t bathe or actually smelled,” Oliver said, thinking back to their school days. He always thought Lottie had been a nice girl. Intelligent, but quiet. Shy. Though she had a love for quidditch that rivaled his own. Unfortunately, she had never tried out for the Ravenclaw team, too nervous to even consider it. Now that he thought about it, she was rather skittish. 

“She was far too easy to tease,” Marcus said.

“Tease?” Oliver said with a slight snort. “She was terrified of you.” Marcus frowned.

“I wasn’t that bad,” he said. “Just… didn’t waste the opportunity when it came up. Came up a lot.”

“Thank Merlin you grew out of that,” Oliver said. Marcus chuckled and nodded.

“Suppose you’re right,” he replied. “So… Lottie Bell… Smelly Bells… what’s she been up to? And how did she end up in the US?” Oliver shrugged.

“Ehm… not sure. Lost track of her, to be honest. Though Kates has kept in touch. Been over to visit her a fair bit. Think she still keeps in touch with Penny Clearwater too,” Oliver said, his brow furrowed. “Suppose I’ll find out tomorrow.” He glanced over at Marcus. “Care to join us?” 

Marcus snorted.

“As much as I would love spending the evening with a load of Gryffindors,” he drawled. “I’ve got plans, if you remember.” 

“Right… the lovely birds and all… Fair enough,” Oliver said. “See you tomorrow.” Marcus nodded as Oliver stepped up to the apparition point. He waved at his teammate and then pulled out his wand, thinking of his home before disappearing with a pop.


	2. Smelly Bells No More

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lottie Bell is happy to be back in Britain, but at the same time, everything has changed. Herself included.

**Smelly Bells No More**

Lottie sighed as she sat back from her desk and rubbed her face. She had just finished up the last of her paperwork and was ready to get out of the Ministry for the weekend. She had only been in the auror department for a week, but already her workload was rather heavy. Granted it wasn’t as though she weren’t used to it. She had a rather large caseload when she worked with MACUSA.

She glanced around the office, taking in the various aurors as they bustled about. In a way, it was a bit strange to be back in England. Just after she graduated from Hogwarts, her father had taken up a temporary six-month posting with MACUSA as a liaison with the British Ministry. Lottie had gone along with him, still unsure about what she had wanted to do with her life. 

She had always been smart and clever - she had been sorted into Ravenclaw, after all. But all that studying had left her a bit lacking in the social department. Sure, she got on with her friends and such, but most of them she had met through her cousin Katie or her brothers and half the time she felt it was because of them that they even allowed her around. Penny Clearwater was the only friend she had truly made on her own.

Lottie also never dated in school, finding herself rather unattractive to the opposite sex, as well as too caught up with classes and such. Wasn’t as though her glasses and untameable hair and plump appearance had helped her out there, either. And then there was the horrid nickname that Marcus Flint and the other Slytherins had given her second year that stuck around far longer than she had hoped. All because of some stupid mistake in potions her second year. She made sure to never make another such mistake. 

And then there was her crippling social anxiety. Thank Merlin she had found a way to get over that. Mostly, anyway.

Outside that, she just couldn’t seem to find anything that struck her fancy in life, outside quidditch, though that was a hobby more than anything. Her brothers had all picked out their chosen professions - and excelled in them - long before she did. It had left her feeling a bit lost, but at the same time lit a fire in her to find something she could be good at. Something that would help her finally break out of her brothers’ shadows.

The opportunity had come along one day when she went into MACUSA with her father. He had been called into a last-minute meeting and she was left wandering around the floor where his office was. She had come across the auror department and struck up a conversation with one, mildly interested as her older brother Bernard had become one. What she hadn’t been expecting was to find it far more interesting than he had ever made it seem. The auror she was chatting with mentioned the MACUSA auror training program was currently accepting new candidates and she should apply. Lottie thought it over all of about 10 minutes before doing so. 

It had been the best decision of her life.

Lottie found that she had found her calling in work as an auror - especially one far from her slightly overbearing and annoying brothers. When her father returned to England at the end of his assignment, she had stayed and threw herself wholeheartedly into training. It was harder than anything she had ever done before, but all the work paid off. She quickly became a promising auror-in-training and was offered a position in MACUSA upon her graduation. What was just going to be three years of training turned into a promising new career. More than that, she had finally found her confidence. Transformed herself from the once shy, timid girl who preferred books over human interaction, into an outgoing, daring young woman. Didn’t hurt that she had finally gotten her eyesight fixed, so no longer needed glasses. And finally lost her baby fat. Oh, and figured out how to tame her hair.

Though, she had a bit of regret that she hadn’t returned when things got really bad during the war. She had tried to transfer over, but with Death Eaters controlling the Ministry, she had no such luck. And then by the time it was over, she had settled into her life in New York and stayed longer. Enjoying the new life she had made for herself.

But now she was back home. And everything had changed. Well, most things had changed. Her best friend Penny was still the same - the two had kept in touch and Penny had come to visit her as often as she could. Her cousin Katie had also come over whenever her work scheduled allowed and hadn’t changed all that much. But Lottie couldn’t help but wonder how all her other friends had turned out.

More than that, she wondered about Oliver Wood. Penny and Katie still gave her shite about her school crush. And Lottie would be lying if she said that her first thought upon arriving back in London hadn’t been about him. Of course, she knew that he had gone into quidditch, getting on his beloved Puddlemere’s reserve team and working up to first string. Outside of that, she didn’t know much else other than his playing stats. But she supposed she would find out soon enough. She was due to meet up with Katie and the others that night once she finished work. There was a flair of nerves in her stomach at the thought of meeting up with people that she hadn’t really seen or spoken to since she left school. 

“Settling in, Bell?”

She looked up, seeing none other than Harry Potter walking up to her. Imagine her surprise when she found out that she was assigned not only to his team, but that they would be working as partners. Her. Little shy, Lottie Bell. Working with The Boy Who Lived. As the senior auror, seeing as he was still technically finishing up his training. She was just grateful that she hadn’t been placed with Bernard, though he took to checking in on her often.

“Yea, though about ready to get out of here,” she said, sitting up in her chair and reaching for the report she had just finished. 

“Meeting up with Katie and the others, yea?” he asked. Lottie nodded as she handed the report over. 

“Think you could take that to Rollins?” she asked.

“Sure,” he replied. Lottie stood and reached for her purse. She then stopped and looked over at him as he started walking to their team leader’s office. 

“Say, Potter… care to join?” she called out. He stopped and looked back, smiling at her.

“Thanks, but got plans,” he replied. 

“Ah, right. The girlfriend,” she said, smiling. “See you Monday, then?”

“Yea, Monday,” he replied, waving at her before turning and continuing on. She then sighed and nodded.

“Best to get on with it, Lottie,” she said to herself.

~~~

Lottie felt her stomach begin to twist a bit the closer she got to the pub. Much in the way it used to in school, but this time was a bit different. She was gripping the strap of her purse tightly, beginning to get terribly worried. What if they all hated her for not coming back? Or held it against her? But she had tried to come back. They had to know that. Katie had assured her that it was fine, and they were all looking forward to seeing her again.

She turned a corner and ended up running into someone, she was so caught up in her thoughts. Hard. She stumbled back and would have fallen over it if it wasn't for a pair of strong hands gripping her arms to steady there.

“Whoa there,” a deep voice said.

“Terribly sorry,” she said, looking up. Her eyes widened as she took a step back.

Bloody hell. It was her old bully - Marcus Flint.

A warm smile filled his face as he took her in, and she couldn’t help the wave of confusion that came over her. Didn’t he recognize her?

“Don’t mention it,” he said, continuing to smile as he ran a hand through his hair, not making any move to walk away. Lottie just blinked. What the hell? He didn’t recognize her, did he? A smile came over her face. She could have some fun with this.

“You sure? Don’t want to injure you or anything,” she replied, remembering that he had gone into quidditch. He studied her a moment.

“I’m sorry, but have we met before?” he asked, taking a step towards her. “You seem familiar… but I’m rather sure I’d remember meeting you…”

Lottie fought from laughing. He certainly was trying to charm her, wasn’t he? Oh, she was going to enjoy this.

“Well… we have met, actually,” she said, crossing her arms in front of her as she tilted her head to the side, allowing her dark waves to swing behind her. She had an easy grin on her face and her blue eyes were twinkling. 

“Remind me again,” Marcus said, leaning towards her. Lottie reached up, tapping her finger against her lip.

“Well… it’s been a rather long time,” she started.

“At least tell me your name,” he said. 

“Nah, think it’s more fun if you guess,” she replied, smirking. Marcus chuckled.

“Do I get any hints?” he asked.

“Let’s say… you knew me in Hogwarts,” she replied. 

“Same year?” he asked.

“Yes,” Lottie said.

“House?” 

“I wasn’t Slytherin,” she said. He looked her up and down. 

“I’m guessing you weren’t Hufflepuff…”

Lottie laughed again and shook her head.

“What makes you say that?” she asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

“I never paid attention to Hufflepuffs and I know I would have paid attention to you,” he said. Lottie couldn’t help the laugh that escaped her lips. Merlin, he was just as full of himself now as he was back then. 

“Well… you did pay me some mind,” she replied. She glanced down at her watch. As much fun as she was having with this, she was about to be late to meeting her friends.

“Gryffindor?” Marcus then asked. 

“Ravenclaw,” she said, looking back up at him. Marcus looked away, seeming as though he were deep in thought.

Lottie couldn’t help but wonder if he was ever going to guess right.

~~~

It was starting to drive Marcus mad. He never forgot a pretty face and he knew that he should bloody well remember the gorgeous witch standing before him. There was something about her eyes, the planes of her face, that were so familiar. But for whatever reason, he just could not put a name on her.

“Ravenclaw? Same year?” he asked, looking back down at her. Her lips stretched into a mischievous grin. Merlin, how did he not remember that grin? “Make a deal. You give me one more hint. If I get it right, you have dinner with me.” 

Her eyebrows rose in surprise. She considered it a moment and then nodded.

“Alright. You gave me a nickname,” she said, a twinkle appearing in her eyes. He studied them a moment. He knew those blue eyes. 

It then struck him.

“Wait… Smelly Bells?” he said, not really believing that was who he was speaking to. There was no way. Lottie Bell had been a dumpy sort back at school. Shy and terribly easy to tease and embarrass. Not this confident, vixen of a witch standing before him. Just what had she been doing in the US?

“None other,” Lottie said, holding her arms out. “Though I’d appreciate it if you called me Lottie or Bell.” 

“Of course,” he replied quickly, smiling. “Believe you owe me a date.” 

“It would seem that I do,” Lottie replied easily. She pulled out a piece of paper and pen from her purse, jotting something down. She then held it out. “My address.” Marcus accepted it, looking down at it. “I do hate to run, but I’m a bit late to meet my friends.”

“Of course,” he said, looking back up at her. “Good to see you again… Lottie.” 

“You as well, Flint,” she said with another smile before walking on. Marcus stood there a moment, staring down at the paper and then looking over his shoulder as she walked off. She glanced over her shoulder at him, smiling.

Bloody hell… he was going to go on a date with Smelly Bells. No. Lottie Bell. Marcus chuckled to himself as he started down the sidewalk. Wait until the lads heard about this.

~~~

Oliver laughed at George’s story about the latest trick gone wrong at the shop, reenacting the explosion with his usual vigor. Angelina sat next to him, shaking her head in disapproval, though she was grinning. Oliver couldn’t help but take in the sight of all his friends, laughing and enjoying themselves. 

It was hard to believe that just two years ago, he wasn’t sure if he’d see any of them again. But now wasn’t the time to dwell on that. The war was over. They had all survived. And moved on. 

He reached for his glass of ale and brought it to his lips, wondering just how long it was going to take Lottie to get there. The rest of the group had arrived about 30 minutes ago and he was halfway through his first drink.

“Oi, Kates. So, where’s Lottie?” Lee Jordan asked. Katie looked down at her watch and then over at the door.

“Should be here,” she replied with a sigh. “Suppose the auror department is keeping her late.”

“Auror department? That’s what she got up to then?” George asked.

“Thought I told you that,” Angelina said, looking at him. 

Oliver’s eyebrows rose slightly. She had become an auror? That didn’t seem like the Lottie he remembered from school. The girl couldn’t even bring herself to try out for quidditch, though she had been a decent chaser in the pick-up games they had played growing up. Granted that may have had more to do with the fact that her brothers had all played and she thought herself not nearly as good as them. 

“Yea. She was just going with my uncle to stay in the US during his six-month assignment and then… dunno… next thing I know, she’s owling me about joining the MACUSA auror training program,” Katie said. “Who would have guessed.”

“That’s about right,” Alicia replied. “Figured she’d go into research or something. She was always spending most of her time in the library.” 

“Isn’t Bernie an auror?” Oliver found himself saying. While Lottie and her twin Charlie had been in Ravenclaw, the older Bells had been Gryffindor.

“Yea,” Katie replied. “Thankfully they aren’t on the same team otherwise I’d never hear the end of it. She always was fighting with him and Adam. Don’t blame her. They were a bit annoying. Still are.”

“I always thought Adam and Bernie were rather fit,” Angelina said with a sigh. 

“Oi! I am sitting right here,” George shouted playfully. 

“Yes, and you are my true love,” Angelina replied, batting her eyelashes at him with a cheeky smile. George just grinned goofily at her before pecking her lips. Oliver chuckled with the others.

“Ah! Finally!” Katie exclaimed, hopping off her stool and moving towards the door. Oliver followed her with his eyes and then couldn’t help as his mouth dropped open.

“Bloody hell,” Lee murmured from his side. “When did Lottie Bell grow up into _that_?”

Even Oliver had to admit that he nearly didn’t recognize her. She was the same height - still had the same dark brown hair and dark blue eyes. But other than that, she was completely different. She had slimmed up. Was dressed a bit more stylishly than she ever had in school. The glasses were gone and her hair now hung in sleek waves. More than that, she held herself differently. There was an air of confidence around her that hadn’t been there in school. He found himself gulping slightly as he watched her hug Katie and then turn to look at the group.

“Aren’t you lot a sight for sore eyes,” she said brightly as she walked up to the table. She looked at all of them, but Oliver couldn’t help but think she lingered on him a bit longer than the others. 

Merlin, she was beautiful.

Granted, it wasn’t as though she was bad-looking to begin with. Just… not much to write home about, he supposed.

“Could say the same about you,” Lee said, grinning. Lottie chuckled as Katie led her over, putting her on the stool next to Oliver.

“Good to see you, Wood. Seems you’re doing well,” she said, looking over at him. 

“Yea,” he said, finding words had temporarily left him.

“Forget Wood. Kates says you’re an auror,” Alicia said, stealing her attention. Lottie nodded.

“Yea, started in MACUSA,” she said before turning and waving down a server, then ordering a beer. 

“How’s it being back home?” Angelina then asked. Lottie was quiet a moment before smiling.

“Good,” she said. “Wanted to come back sooner, but well… suppose life got in the way a bit.” There was a bit of awkward silence as no one wanted to bring up the war. She then smiled brightly. “How have you lot been? Been following the League while I’ve been gone a bit, but don’t know much outside that...”

From that point on, it seemed like the entire group was fighting for Lottie’s attention, talking over each other to get in a few words. But Oliver remained quiet, just listening as she answered questions here and there. Every so often, she’d glance at him and he swore she blushed once. He wasn’t sure why. 

But as the night continued, he couldn’t help but wonder just why he hadn’t paid more attention to her in school. She had been part of the group enough. They had been in many classes together. Had even hung out and talked. He blamed it on his quidditch tunnel vision. But now, years later, he decided he wasn’t going to let that be the case again. 

“Take it you’re happy to be back,” he said, leaning towards her when the others were focused on teasing Alicia about her new boyfriend. Lottie smiled at him, her cheeks flushing slightly.

“Yea. It’s good to be home,” she said, reaching for her glass. “Really didn’t mean to be away for so long…” 

“You get a place in the Alley?” he then asked. Lottie nodded. 

“Not far from here,” she said.

“Ah, so we’re neighbors then,” Oliver replied. “I’m just a couple blocks down.” Lottie studied him a moment.

“Near the big blue building that looks a bit like a cake?” she asked.

“Brown building next to it,” he said. Lottie chuckled.

“We are neighbors. I’m in the building next to that,” she said, leaning her head on her hand. Oliver’s eyes widened slightly.

“Well then, suppose there’s no excuse to not meet up for dinner or something,” he said. “Seeing as we are neighbors and all.” Another blush came over her pale cheeks.

“Guess not,” she replied. 

“Grand…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Got the idea for this when I was originally writing "Love By Another Name" - this was originally what that story was meant to be. Obviously, it's good I didn't take that story this way - though it would have been funny. But decided to keep at it. And hence, this story.


	3. Rockstar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lottie realizes exactly what she's done by accepting dates with both Oliver and Marcus but hopes it won't come back to bite her in the ass. More than that, she needs to focus on settling into her new job.

**Rockstar**

Lottie stretched out a bit the next night, settling on to the sofa as Penny came back to the living room with a new bottle of wine. She had to admit, she was enjoying being in the same city as her best friend again. Certainly needed it for those days when she wanted to talk. 

It was loads better than floo or owl.

“So… you’ve made it through your first week at work and haven’t hexed your brother yet. I’d say that’s a good sign,” Penny said as she sat next to Lottie and topped off her glass before replenishing her own and then putting the bottle on the table.

“And made it through meeting up with the others,” Lottie added.

“I told you there was no reason to worry. No one blames you for not being here,” Penny replied, rolling her eyes slightly. “Not even the Gryffindors – they’re too _noble_ for that. And Merlin, you tried to get back.” Lottie sighed.

“I know. Still feel a bit guilty,” she admitted. “But that’s all in the past.” 

“Was Wood there?” Penny asked, an innocent look on her face. Lottie rolled her eyes.

“Yes,” she admitted.

“And?”

“We’re neighbors, apparently. He wants to meet up for dinner or coffee or something,” Lottie said, suddenly rather interested in her wine. Penny squealed, causing her to wince.

“Oh, this is perfect! You had such a mad crush on him at school,” Penny said.

“It’s just meeting up,” Lottie said, her cheeks turning red. “Not like it’s a date or anything.”

“It’s a date,” Penny stated. “And about damn time, in my opinion.”

“Just because I fancied him in school doesn’t mean he fancied me,” Lottie scoffed.

“Yes, but how many times have I told you to just ask him out?” Penny pushed. Lottie stared at her a moment. “Ah, right, but still! You’re not like that anymore!” Lottie sighed and then stiffened slightly, unsure of how her best friend would take the next bit of news.

“And well…” Lottie started. She stopped speaking as her cheeks flushed a brighter red. Penny’s eyes widened. 

“Charlotte Aoife Bell. Tell me now,” she said, leaning towards her.

“Sorta ran into Marcus Flint on the way to the pub… he didn’t recognize me,” Lottie said, still staring down at her glass. 

“No shit,” Penny said. “What happened?”

“He asked me on a date,” Lottie said.

“And?”

“I said yes,” Lottie replied. Penny started cackling loudly. 

“Merlin! Why?” she asked, struggling to breathe. Lottie just shrugged. 

“Had a bit of fun teasing him. He was certainly flirting with me. I got curious,” she replied.

“He came up with that whole Smelly Bells shite,” Penny said, wiping tears from her eyes. “Though I admit, I am proud of you.”

“Certainly wasn’t calling me that when I ran into him,” Lottie replied. “Didn’t even recognize me.” Her eyes then went wide in shock. “Oh god…”

“It’s just now hitting you, isn’t it?” Penny asked, grinning. “You’re going on dates with the biggest rivals in Hogwarts since possibly Slytherin and Gryffindor themselves.” 

“Fuck… and they’re playing on the same team now. Oh, gods. What was I thinking? I can’t do this,” Lottie said, sitting up on the sofa. “I’ve got to cancel one. Or both. I mean, really… what the hell was I thinking?”

“Oh no, you don’t. It took you forever to start dating after you moved to the US. I’ll not have you undo all that hard work,” Penny said. Lottie looked over at her.

“I can’t date two men at once!” she shouted.

“First of all, calm down. You’re not dating two men at once. You’re a single woman going on two dates. That happen to be with two different men. Who knows how either will work out,” Penny said. “And secondly, you _should_ have fun! That’s what our 20s are for, Lottie!”

“But what if one or both of them finds out?” Lottie asked. 

“Well, you be honest. But, it’s just one date. You haven’t committed to one or the other. And you don’t have to choose one now,” Penny said. “Just… go on the dates and see what happens.” Lottie thought about it a moment and then nodded.

“Suppose that makes sense,” she finally admitted. 

“Course it does,” Penny replied. “I tend to make a decent amount of sense.” Lottie narrowed her eyes at her.

“Save for the two years you dated Percy Weasley,” she replied, a sly smile on her face. Penny rolled her eyes. 

“I was young and foolish. Besides, he was different back then,” she said lightly. “At least _I_ had a boyfriend in school.” Lottie rolled her eyes again. “Seriously, Lottie. You’ve been so focused on your career and such. You need to have some fun while you’re still young.”

“I had fun in New York,” Lottie retorted. Penny just stared at her. “Okay, maybe not as much as I could have, but I dated. Went out. And was certainly far more fun than I ever was at Hogwarts.”

“This is true,” Penny mused. “Finally got you pissed…” Lottie chuckled. “Just promise me that you won’t cancel either date.”

“Fine, I won’t,” Lottie said. Penny grinned.

“Good. Now… just when are these dates…”

~~~

“Wait, really?” Harry asked as he and Lottie walked back into the auror department after out doing some questioning on a case. “You tracked him down there?” Lottie couldn’t help but be a bit proud of the look of awe on his face. 

“Yea. Didn’t take that much to bring him in, though. Bit anticlimactic,” she replied as they walked to their desks. 

“But still… he had been on the most wanted list for a good five years from what I remember hearing,” Potter said. Lottie just shrugged. 

“It was a group effort,” she said. 

“Char!”

She stopped and looked over, seeing a tall, dark-hair man rushing up to her. She smiled, though she began to mentally steel herself. 

Lottie loved her brothers, really, she did. But they had always been bothersome. Bernard had taken to checking on her a few times a day her first week at the Ministry and she had hoped he’d lay off, but it appeared he was keen on keeping it up for the time being. 

“You just get back?” he asked, catching up to her and Harry.

“We did,” she replied. “Can I help you with something?” 

“Just wanted to see how the case is going,” he said, towering over her. If Lottie were being truly honest with herself, she couldn’t blame her lack of dates at Hogwarts completely on herself. She was fairly sure that Bernard and Adam had some blame in that. As well as her twin Charlie, though he wasn’t nearly as bad as they had been. He had at least given her some space though they were in the same house. 

“Perfectly fine,” she said lightly. “Don’t you have your own case to worry about?” Bernard smiled down at her.

“Can you blame me for wanting to check in on my little sister?” he asked. Lottie rolled her eyes.

“This isn’t Hogwarts, Bernie,” she chided. “And I have been an auror for a few years. Had to run off to the US just to get away from you lot.” Bernard laughed loudly. 

“What can I say? I’ve missed having you around,” he replied. He then glanced over at Harry. “You looking out for her, Potter?” Harry’s eyes widened slightly as Lottie huffed.

“More like she’s looking out for me,” he said quickly. “I mean… I am still in my last year of training and Lottie knows loads more than I do.” Bernard looked back at her as she raised an eyebrow at him.

“See? Everything is fine,” she said. “Now, if you don’t mind, we’ve got work to do. As I’m sure you do as well.” When he didn’t move, she shoved him, happy to see that she was finally able to make him budge. When she was younger, he would often stand and laugh as she attempted to shove, punch and kick him to no avail. Bernard chuckled and leaned towards her. “Fuck’s sakes, Bernard! Shoo!” 

“Bells! You best not be roughhousing in my department!” Collins, their boss, said, stepping out of his office. The two stopped and looked over at him, wide-eyed.

“Course not, sir,” Lottie said, straightening up.

“Never, sir,” Bernard added. The auror glowered at him and then turned and walked back into his office.

“Go,” Lottie ordered. Bernard just winked and then walked over to his desk on the other side of the office. She huffed and turned back to her own, finding an amused Harry already seated at his.

“Are you two always like that?” he asked.

“No. Sometimes it’s worse,” Lottie said, rolling her eyes. “When all three of them are together, it’s impossible.” 

“You’ve got three brothers?” Harry asked, sitting up in his chair, a stunned look on his face. 

“Suppose you didn’t know Adam or Bernard. They were in Gryffindor but much older than you,” she said, settling at her desk. “Not as though you knew me or my twin all that well since we were in Ravenclaw.”

“Right… Charlie, wasn’t it? Played quidditch,” Potter replied. Lottie chuckled and nodded. “Nearly forgot you had a twin brother.”

“Though most definitely not like the Weasleys,” she said with a sigh before falling silent, a grimace coming over her face as she thought about Fred. She had enjoyed spending time with George and was happy to see him doing well. But it was a bit of a shock to see him without Fred. 

The guilt came sidling back into her heart. She should have been here.

“I miss him too,” Harry said softly. She looked up at him and smiled slightly.

“Not the same, is it?” she asked, reaching for her parchment and quill.

“It’s not,” he admitted, though didn’t say anything more. 

Lottie studied him a moment. It was on the tip of her tongue to ask him about those times. She could only imagine what he went through. But she knew that it wasn’t her business. And she was sure that if it were her, she wouldn’t want people she barely knew asking her about it. 

“Right then, these reports aren’t going to write themselves,” she said, trying to be as cheerful as she could. “Think if we finish these, we could probably go to the records department and start looking into our suspected accomplice.” 

Harry smiled in relief and nodded.

“Sounds like a plan.”

~~~

Lottie sighed in happiness as she stepped into her flat and pulled off her leather jacket, hanging it on her coat stand near the door. Part of her had been hoping she’d run into Oliver as she walked home, but she had stayed a bit later at the office than she wanted and figured he was likely already home. Or out doing whatever it was that professional quidditch players did in their downtime.

She had to admit that when she first found out she would be taking on a third-year trainee as a partner, she had been a bit disappointed. In New York, she had been lead on cases and the thought of being relegated a sort of training witch for young aurors didn’t settle well with her. But then once she met Harry and realized that she would still be working actual cases, the job had grown on her.

Harry was bright and caught on to things rather quickly. He would make a fine auror, she thought. Was well on his way there as it was. He had been on a task force when he first joined to track down various dark wizards and witches just after the fall of Voldemort, which was more than she had done at his age.

Lottie made her way to the kitchen, dropping off her bag of takeout on the counter before turning to the fridge and pulling out a bottle of beer.

She then heard the floo flare up and stomping in the living room.

“Char, you here?”

She stepped out of the kitchen in time to see her twin Charlie looking around as he brushed soot off his robes. He then grinned when he saw her. 

“How’s work?” he asked, walking over to her. 

“Well. You? Mum not driving you mad?” she asked, as she hugged him. Charlie had a talent for potions and their ingredients, joining their mother at her apothecary shop right after finishing school.

“Never,” he said, his blue eyes twinkling. 

Upon looking at the two, it was obvious they were brother and sister. They had the same dark, wavy hair. The same dimples. The same dark blue eyes and nose. But Charlie stood a few inches taller than Lottie. And had always been far more popular than her at school - he had been outgoing and confident. Charming. 

While Lottie had been timid at best, an absolute wreck when it came around being large crowds at worst.

Granted, since living in the US, Lottie was now far more like her brother than she had been then – it had certainly taken a lot of work. And whenever they were together with their family, she had most definitely been just as loud and spoken her mind.

“Brought those potions you asked for,” he said, digging into his pocket and pulling out a cloth bag. Lottie smiled as she took the bag, reaching in and pulling one bottle out to inspect it. “Not sure why you want my antidote to uncommon poisons. You’re just as capable of making your own.”

“You always made it better. Besides I haven’t had time,” she said, slipping the bottle back into the bag and putting it aside. “You eat?” 

“Yea, but wouldn’t mind a beer,” he said. Lottie went to the kitchen and grabbed another bottle as well as her takeout. When she returned to the living room, Charlie was already settled on the sofa, his feet propped up on the table.

“Make yourself at home then,” she said lightly as she held out the beer and then sat next to him, pulling out fish and chips from a greasy bag. Charlie chuckled as he shook his head.

“Can’t seem to understand how you eat like that and still manage to stay thin,” he said before taking a drink.

“Loads of running about at work. And you’ve no idea how much I’ve missed this. No one in New York does proper fish and chips,” Lottie said before taking a large bite. She chewed and swallowed. “Ehm… and might hit the gym a few times a week.” Charlie chuckled.

“Surprised you have time between your cases and baby-sitting Potter,” Charlie said, raising his eyebrows at her. Lottie shoved him. 

“I’m not baby-sitting. He’s more my partner than he is a trainee, to be honest. Whoever he worked with before taught him well,” she said. “Feel like I barely have anything to teach him.”

“Sure you’ve got something,” Charlie said. “You’re eager to make your mark.”

“Course,” Lottie replied, grinning at him. “Already did that at MACUSA.”

“Sure it won’t take you long,” Charlie replied. “You always were bright.” Lottie nodded, going quiet as she continued to eat. “Changed a lot, hasn’t it?”

She looked over at him.

“Yea,” she admitted. “And I still feel bad that I wasn’t here.” Charlie sighed.

“Told you a thousand times, Char. You’ve nothing to feel guilty about,” he said.

“But I do. I mean, Bernie was working in the Ministry – had to go into hiding. You all went back to Hogwarts that night. And what was I doing?” she said, slightly exasperated.

“You were fighting dark witches and wizards in the US,” Charlie said.

“Yea, while you were all fighting a war,” Lottie stated. “Fighting to survive.” Charlie sighed again. He and Lottie have had this conversation far too often in his opinion.

“But we all made it out alive,” he said.

“Fred Weasley didn’t. Merlin, I didn’t even come back for the funeral,” she said, frowning and putting her food aside, no longer hungry.

“Be glad you didn’t. It wasn’t easy,” Charlie said. “How did it go meeting up with everyone?”

“Good,” she said. “Easier than I thought it would be. They all seem… fine…”

“Because we are fine. It’s been two years. We’re all moving on. Time you did as well,” Charlie said, smiling slightly at her. Lottie rolled her eyes. “Was Wood there?”

Her cheeks suddenly reddened.

“Yes,” she said, trying to play cool. Charlie started grinning. 

“Still think he’s fit?” he asked. 

“Sod off,” Lottie said, shoving him.

“So you do. How’d he take your new look?” Charlie asked. Lottie rolled her eyes but couldn’t help the smile tugging at her lips.

“We’re actually meeting up soon,” she admitted. Charlie started laughing.

“Finally! Little Lottie Bell gets to go on a date with her one true love, Oliver Wood,” Charlie declared. Lottie launched onto her brother.

“Shut it, you toad!” she shouted as she punched him. 

“Ow! Ow! Mercy! Mercy!” Charlie shouted. Lottie got off him and huffed. “Blimey. When did you start hitting so hard?”

“Got more where that came from,” she replied a bit smugly.

“So,” he said as he rubbed his arm. “Do I need to go have a few words with him? Make sure that he knows how to treat my sister right?” Lottie’s cheeks turned bright red. She decided right then and there that she most definitely was not going to mention anything about meeting up with Flint as well.

“Absolutely not. You go near him and I will hex your bollocks off,” she threatened. Charlie put his hands up.

“Fine. I’ll stay away. But you might not want to mention this to Bernie and Adam. You know they will say something… or beg for Puddlemere tickets,” he said. 

“I am not going to ask him for free tickets,” Lottie scoffed.

“But you want to,” Charlie said, leaning towards her as he waggled his eyebrows. “And you want to take your favorite brother with you…” Lottie snorted.

“Maybe I was planning to take Penny,” she said, her voice a big haughty.

“Penny hates quidditch. Take me instead,” he begged, pouting. “Please, Char?” She just laughed and shook her head.

“Get off it, Charlie. I don’t even know if it is a date. And even if it is, why do you think he would offer free tickets?” she replied, though her cheeks were still a bright red. Charlie just laughed a bit, then turned to study her. 

“Really, though. It’s good to have you back, Char,” he said. “Missed you while you were gone.” Lottie sighed and reached over, hugging him.

“Missed you too, Charlie,” she said softly. 

“Now… about your date-”

“Merlin! Shut it!!!”


	4. I'm So Fancy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marcus pulls out all the stops for his first date with Lottie.

**I’m So Fancy**

Lottie couldn’t help as her eyes widened when Marcus led her into the foyer of the restaurant. She knew that Follies was the hottest new wizarding restaurant in the city, but she was not prepared for actually experiencing the grandeur of it. For a brief moment, she doubted her choice of attire for the date, fearing it might not be dressy enough. But then she reasoned with herself that a little black dress worked for many occasions. Including the incredibly ritzy, art deco-inspired restaurant that they were walking into located at the top of a skyscraper in downtown London. 

Not to mention, she happened to love the way the dress made her bum look and how it accentuated her body. From the wide-eyed look Marcus gave her when he picked her up from her flat, he appreciated the dress as well.

Though part of her couldn’t help as her stomach started to clench slightly in worry.

_“No, Lottie,”_ she scolded herself firmly. _“You can do this. Just breathe.”_

“Reservation for Flint,” Marcus said smoothly to the hostess, who then smiled and asked them to follow her.

Lottie openly admired the restaurant interior as they walked through, Flint’s hand on the small of her back. The earlier nerves started to dissipate as she focused on the space around her. The walls and lighting gently shifted colors from a vivid red to a royal blue, with gold accenting everything. The soft murmur of conversation filled the space. 

They then stepped into another room with a glittery black wall that looked like the starry night on one side and solid windows on the other that looked out over the city. Lottie couldn’t help as her eyes widened and her breath caught in her throat at the view. Thankfully, the hostess led them to a small table just next to the window.

“This is amazing,” Lottie murmured, stepping over and drinking it in. Merlin, she had missed London, but never had she gotten the opportunity to see it like this. Marcus chuckled softly as he walked to her chair and waited.

“Thought you might want to see the skyline since it’s been awhile,” he replied. Lottie turned to him and smiled, appreciating the sentiment. Marcus pulled the chair out for her as she walked over and then sat. She couldn’t help but add another point in his favor for being a gentleman. That was on top of the several she had already given him for choosing a spectacular restaurant, even if it was a mite fancier than she was used to.

The night certainly was revealing surprise after surprise. And to think part of why she had said yes was out of pure curiosity.

He then took a seat across from her.

“Just how did you find this place?” she asked, reaching for her menu. It was on the tip of her tongue to ask if he took all his first dates here, but she refrained. For the time being, she was willing to give Flint a chance to prove that he had changed from school. While he wasn’t nearly as flighty as Adrian Pucey, Marcus had his own way with the witches in school. At the time, Lottie couldn’t understand the attraction, though now she could see it.

“Ehm, friend of mine suggested it. You remember Adrian Pucey?” he asked. Lottie nodded as she looked over the menu, fighting off a snort. That figured. Seemed like a place Pucey would take his dates to.

“How could I forget your crew? Took particular joy in knocking my books over in the corridor,” she replied, glancing up at him with a small smirk. “Think Pucey was rather partial to sticking flobberworm mucus in my hair during potions. When he wasn’t trying to get me to blush with his innuendos, that is.”

“Suppose we were a bit… horrible,” Marcus replied, not meeting her eyes. Lottie continued looking over the menu, though she was slightly surprised to see him appear uncomfortable about his actions from back then.

“What’s the saying? A bit of bullying builds character and all? Or… what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger?” she replied casually, chuckling slightly when she saw him gulp. She surprised herself a bit, finding it far easier than she thought it would be to make light of how they treated her in school. “Don’t worry, I’m not upset by it. Not anymore, at least.”

Lottie found it entertaining how much he was now squirming. She hadn’t intended to give him a hard time about school - really it was all in the past and she had long ago made peace with that part of her life - but this was turning out to be a bit of fun. 

A little bit of payback wouldn’t hurt, would it?

“How was work?” he asked, regaining his wits after the two had ordered and a bottle of wine and glasses had appeared at the table. 

“The usual,” Lottie said with a sigh. “I’m working cases and all, but they’ve got me with an auror-in-training, so they aren’t as challenging as what I’m used to.” She took a small sip of her wine, reminding herself not to drink too much before the food arrived. While she appeared calm and collected on the outside, she was still jittery. Getting tipsy on an empty stomach would likely only make that worse.

It was then that Lottie wished she _had_ dated more. Perhaps she wouldn’t be so nervous right now. It was all she could do to keep from messing with her dress or shifting in her chair, finding it hard to resist resorting to her old habits now that she was back home. All those years of hard work to move past her insecurities and here she was on the edge of letting them overcome her again. All because she was out in a place she had never been before with an unfamiliar person. Bloody hell, she was not going to do this now on a date with Marcus Flint.

_“Breathe, Lottie. Take in your surroundings,”_ she told herself, remembering one of the coping methods that her instructor had taught her all those years ago to overcome her social anxiety. She quietly scanned around the room, noting all the exits and studying the few other couples around her. Thankfully, it worked and she felt calmer almost instantly, returning to focusing on Marcus.

“Doesn’t sound fair,” Marcus said, frowning slightly. “You’ve been an auror for years now. Why’d they make you a trainer?” Lottie just waved her hand in the air.

“It’s not so bad, and it’s only until he finishes up in a few months. To be honest, he’s more my partner than a trainee,” she said. “Got good instincts, though I suppose I should have expected that considering his previous experience… Nothing to worry about. I’ll get assigned the big cases soon enough. And I wouldn’t mind keeping him on as my partner afterwards.”

Marcus appeared a bit more interested as he leaned on the table a bit, reaching for his glass.

“I have to admit. Found it surprising that you became an auror,” he said. “Not that I think you couldn’t do it or anything – you were really good at class and such,” he added quickly. “Just… didn’t seem like something you’d be interested in when we were at school.”

“Truth be told, I wasn’t interested at first. Bernie, my older brother, is an auror and he always told me terrifying stories about the work. Made me think it was something that someone like me should never do,” Lottie said. She winced slightly, thinking back to the things her brother had said back then. “But then I met some of the MACUSA aurors and they somehow convinced me to sign up for their training academy.”

“What was it that convinced you?” Marcus asked, looking genuinely interested. Lottie looked out the window and sighed, a soft smile coming over her face. 

“Not completely sure, to be honest. But when they talked about it… there was something that just drew me in,” she said. “And I knew that I wanted, rather needed, to do something different. Something to challenge myself. Something… to push me out of my comfort zone.” She looked back over at Marcus. “So, I signed up, was accepted and the rest is history.”

“Well, you’ve certainly changed,” Marcus said. Lottie looked down at her glass, blushing slightly. And then reeling from the fact that Marcus Flint was making her blush and it wasn’t out of embarrassment. “Not just your looks, mind you. It’s like I’m sitting with someone completely different.” 

Lottie looked up at him, noticing he had a slightly awed look on his face, which nearly dumbfounded her. If you had told her in school that Marcus Flint would not only ask her on a date someday, but would appear openly interested in her, she likely would have died of laughter. Also over the fact that she would actually be enjoying the fact that she was out on a date with him.

This _was_ the bloke that had given her the nickname Smelly Bells, after all. She had spent more time running away from him at school than getting to know him on any level. Didn’t help that it had always taken her a long time to open up to people.

But then again, people grew up and changed. It shouldn’t be so surprising that Marcus Flint, former Slytherin bully, might decide to turn a new leaf. Not to mention, she was the prime example that you didn’t always have to be who you used to be.

“So, Mr. Big Quidditch Player… how’s it been playing in the League?” she asked playfully, settling firmly into New Lottie. The Lottie that flirted with handsome quidditch players in fancy restaurants. “Everything you hoped it’d be?” Marcus chuckled, a faint blush painting his own cheeks. Lottie nearly gaped, surprised it was even possible for him to do such a thing. And that _she_ would make _him_ blush.

“It’s been good,” he said. “Though, I was certainly grateful when Puddlemere offered me a contract for first-string that I couldn’t turn down. Even if it meant I had to play with Wood.”

Lottie choked slightly on her wine but managed to cover it up. She was hoping Oliver wouldn’t come up. But somewhere in her head, she heard Penny reminding her that it was just a first date. Marcus didn’t need to know about her upcoming meeting with Oliver. Besides, wasn’t that just spending time with an old friend?

“I was curious as to how that would go when I read the news,” Lottie said smoothly, happy that her acting abilities had improved since becoming an auror. 

“You heard about it?” Marcus asked, appearing surprised.

“Just because I was in the US didn’t mean that I stopped following quidditch,” she scoffed. “Read all the articles and listened to as many matches on the wireless as I could. Even went to some American games, though it wasn’t the same.”

“Right… nearly forgot you were a fan,” he said. She chuckled, knowing that he was putting up a good front. There was no way that Marcus Flint could have known she was a big quidditch fan.

“Kind of hard not to be when you’ve got three brothers who love the game and all played at Hogwarts,” she replied. “They’d make me practice with them when we were home.”

“Is that so?” Marcus asked, appearing once again surprised. “Did you ever consider trying out in school?”

“Heavens no. I love the sport but was nowhere near good enough to play on the house team,” Lottie replied with a laugh. “Nah, just play for fun and that’s good enough for me. A bunch of the aurors I worked with in New York would spend nearly every weekend we had free playing quidditch in a park…”

~~~

Marcus couldn’t help but get a bit lost in Lottie’s voice as she continued talking about playing quidditch with her co-workers and friends in New York. Her blue eyes lit up with excitement and he noticed a dimple in her cheek that appeared when she grinned. A dimple that he had never noticed until now, though probably because he had made her cry more than smile in school. Another twinge of regret flew through him, but he pushed it aside for the moment.

She was an animated storyteller, that was for sure. Had she always been one, he wondered.

He had been rather nervous about tonight. After it sunk in that he had asked out Smelly Bells, he worried that the only reason she said yes was so she could get back at him for being a bully in school. And then when she brought it up, he worried the night was going to take a sharp turn for the worse. 

But then they settled on a neutral topic - quidditch - and he breathed a bit easier. Even though he was still kicking himself. Just how had he managed to miss so much about Lottie? He had never known that she was a quidditch fan at Hogwarts. Barely remembered her two older brothers. Had also never known she had a wicked sense of humor. 

Then again, he was so focused on other things at Hogwarts it wasn’t really that much of a surprise. And well, he had thought she was dumpy Smelly Bells back then. A girl that was scared of her own shadow and far too fun to tease.

Now, she was Lottie Bell. Confident auror. Weekend quidditch player. And one hell of an attractive woman on all fronts. 

“How did you manage to cover that one up?” Marcus asked, chuckling as Lottie paused in her story to take a sip of her wine. Their food had arrived, though they were taking their time working through dinner, both seeming to enjoy the conversation.

“You forget we were mostly aurors. We were able to petrify the woman and then oblivate her rather quickly,” she replied. “And from then on, were far more careful with our charms. Though she really shouldn’t have been able to come across us in the first place…”

“Perhaps playing quidditch in Central Park wasn’t such a great idea,” Marcus offered. Lottie rolled her eyes, though she was still grinning.

“Perhaps not our best one. But really, between all of us we should have been undetectable,” she replied with a sigh. “Damn cocky aurors slacking on their charmwork…”

“Heard they’re almost as bad as cocky quidditch players,” Marcus said before taking a bite. Lottie laughed. 

“Suppose they are,” she said. “Especially those from Slytherin… or so I’m told…” 

Merlin, was he really sitting here flirting with Smelly Bells? Marcus nearly couldn’t believe it. Wait, no. He needed to stop referring to her old nickname. In fact, he probably should apologize for that… 

“We are known for our arrogance at times,” he said. “And stupidity. We have a penchant for sticking our feet in our mouths and unfairly bullying students from other houses with horrible nicknames.” Lottie’s eyebrows rose.

“Is that so?” she replied, seeming eager to see where he was going with this.

“Oh, yes. But we’re also known to learn from our mistakes at times,” he said. “For example, I am truly sorry for the entire Smelly Bells bollocks. I hadn’t expected it to spread so far or last so long.”

Lottie stared at him a moment in surprise, then slowly smiled and started laughing.

“That’s not necessary, but I appreciate it. You’re forgiven. As long as you promise to never call me that again,” Lottie said. 

“I promise,” Marcus vowed. The two ate for a few moments before he looked up at her. “What sort of cases were you on in New York?” Lottie raised an eyebrow at him.

“Started out mostly working robberies. Small cases. A little old witch reporting her neighbor for stealing magical plants from her garden and such,” Lottie said. “Everyone starts with small cases, you know. But before I left, I was working on a task force looking into a trafficking ring for magical creatures. They were bringing them into the US through the ports in New York, then shipping them all over North America from there.” Marcus’ eyes widened. “We were working on the network in the US, but had counterparts in Thailand, Africa and Europe working it from that end as well.”

“Bloody hell,” Marcus replied, noticing the slight blush in her cheeks. While she spoke confidently and sat straight in her chair, he could see a bit of the old shyness creeping into her eyes as she looked down at her plate. Had seen glimpses of it all night before she would somehow regain her confidence.

“It was a large task force,” she said quickly. “Certainly, wasn’t the only one on it. Nor was I the lead or anything…”

“But still… that’s something, Lottie,” Marcus said, and really meaning it. “Taking down an international magical creature trafficking ring… I certainly haven’t done anything that impressive…” He already saw Lottie in a new light, but now… his view of her shifted even more. 

She glanced at him a few times before looking up and studying him closely. Marcus couldn’t help but shift slightly in his chair, finding her dark blue eyes rather piercing. Not to mention he hadn’t really had the chance to see them all that much at Hogwarts, considering how often she would look down or away or around.

“Sorry,” she said looking away. “Just… still a bit… dunno. Guess part of me can’t really believe that I’m on a date with Marcus Flint… and enjoying it…”

“You thought it’d be horrible?” Marcus asked, keeping his tone light, though he was partially worried. Lottie laughed softly. 

“No, course not. Not exactly sure what I expected to be honest,” she replied. 

“Me neither. For a moment, I worried you’d only said yes to get some sort of revenge for the Smelly Bells thing,” he said. Lottie laughed.

“Please, I’d be far more creative if I wanted revenge,” she said, her eyes twinkling.

“No doubt that you would,” he said, watching her. “You always were at the top of our year. Remember how angry Weasley would get about that.” Lottie rolled her eyes.

“I was not at the top of the year - that was Penny and Percy. Still not sure just why he would get so competitive with me and not Penny. Suppose it was because they were dating at the time,” she said.

“Fairly sure he was the only person I saw you get into it with back then,” Marcus commented.

“A proper battle of the nerds,” Lottie added. “Though I’ve long been standing up to my brothers. Be glad that you weren’t in Ravenclaw. Charlie and I had some rather spectacular blowouts. And he’s the brother I do actually get along with…”

Marcus leaned forward a bit as she launched into a story about her brothers, finding it fascinating. He wasn’t sure how the rest of the date would go, but he knew one thing.

He most definitely wanted to see Lottie Bell again.

~~~

Lottie sighed as she stared at herself in the mirror a moment before continuing to remove her makeup. A small smile was settled on her lips and she was fairly sure it had been there since she walked into her flat after Marcus dropped her off from their date.

She had expected him to be charming. What she hadn’t expected was for him to be genuine. And there was something about the way he looked at her that had her stomach fluttering in excitement. He had certainly set the bar rather high for their first date.

Suddenly, Lottie stopped, frowning slightly at her reflection. He had set the bar rather high in terms of impressing her. But now that she was alone in her flat, dressed in worn pajamas with her hair pulled up in a messy bun and her cosmetics removed, she wondered if perhaps she had set her own bar too high.

From the way he spoke and acted, how comfortable he was in the fancy restaurant all dressed up – she wondered if he was used to a higher caliber of woman. One that enjoyed going out like that all the time. Lottie had put on a good show tonight, but honestly, she preferred a cozy, small pub and her denims over heels, chic dresses and fancy restaurants. Surrounded by people that she knew and was comfortable with.

She didn’t like having to put on a show all the time. If she was going to be in a relationship with someone, she wanted to feel comfortable. Open. Herself. Flaws and all.

_“It’s only one date… go with it…”_ Penny’s voice floated around her head. 

She supposed this was true. While both had mentioned wanting to meet up again, they hadn’t set a date or anything. There was no use getting worried about a future that might not happen.

“Besides, Lottie girl, you’ve got a meeting with Oliver coming,” she said to herself, feeling a flurry of butterflies in her stomach yet again. The woman in the mirror smiled in return. 

She then turned and walked back into her bedroom, crawling under her blankets before turning off the lights. Best get some sleep - tomorrow was sure to be another busy day.


	5. You Get Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver takes Lottie out on a date and leaves her wondering just exactly what she's gotten herself into...

**You Get Me**

“No way,” Lottie said, her eyes wide after Oliver had apparated them from her flat. She couldn’t help as a bright smile came over her face while she looked around the park, now understanding why he had told her to wear something comfortable and bring her broom. It had been years since she had last been there, but it looked remarkably the same as it did back then. 

She looked over at him, a bag slung over her shoulder, realizing that she was still holding on to his arm. A flush came over her cheeks as she let go and took a step away from him.

_“You don’t even know if this **is** a date, Lottie,” _she mentally chided herself. _“Stop being such a pansy.”_

“When was the last time we were all here together?” she asked as she looked back out at the park, fighting to regain control of the color painting her cheeks. Perhaps Oliver would think that it was just the breeze that had her cheeks flushed.

“Ehm… think the last time was when we all met up for a match just before you left for the US with your dad,” he said, putting his bag down. “Hope you don’t mind… Katie mentioned that you used to play on the weekends with your friends in New York and I thought you might like to come here…”

“This is actually perfect,” Lottie said, looking over at him. “Really need to play after the busy week I’ve had. I think that was the reason we played so much when we got a free day… good stress relief…” Oliver seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, finally relaxing a bit. 

“Good to hear… though now that I think about it, I should have invited the others so we could get a proper match going,” he said, looking slightly stricken again.

“It’s fine,” Lottie said as she dropped her bag to the ground, happy that it was just the two of them. Merlin, teenage Lottie would likely be screaming her head off at the moment. Adult Lottie was currently reminding herself to play it cool. “Sure we can still get a decent match going with just the two of us.”

“That we can,” Oliver replied, dropping his own bag to the ground and crouching down to open it up. “Though, left the bludgers at home. Didn’t want to risk giving you a head injury. Or myself...”

“Shame. Bludgers make things so much more interesting,” Lottie quipped, though she kind of surprised herself. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him look up at her with an amused look. “Though, probably a good idea. It’ll be hard enough for me playing against one of the top keepers in the League…”

“Don’t start up with that. You always could keep up with the rest of us,” he said as he pulled out six small hoops and then waved his wand, suspending them in the air. Lottie watched as he then enlarged them and then sent them to opposite sides of the field. “Even if you were the only one that wasn’t on a house team. And don’t think that I didn’t know that you were the one coming up with the plays when we were on opposing teams.”

Lottie blushed slightly. She never thought herself all that great at quidditch though she loved it and certainly didn’t think herself horrible. While part of her thought perhaps Oliver was just being kind, another part remembered that he was never the sort to hand out empty compliments.

“Just promise to take it easy on me,” she said. He chuckled and flashed her a grin that made her stomach do a flip-flop. Merlin, he could still do that to her after all these years.

“Don’t think I’ll need to go _that_ easy,” he said. “Still think you should have tried out for the Ravenclaw team.” Lottie could feel her cheeks heat up, but she tried to push it aside as she pulled her broom out of her bag.

“Knew I’d never get on it,” she said. Oliver shot her a look. “Seriously, Wood. There were too many other talented players who wanted on the team. And some who actually did stand a chance at going pro and wanted to. And were far better than me.” 

Oliver studied her a moment, considering her answer. He then nodded.

“Still think you would have had a chance if you tried, but… suppose it makes sense why you didn’t. Not everyone wants to play professionally,” he said. Lottie chuckled and shook her head. 

“Of course, I make sense,” she scoffed as she swung her leg over her broom and then kicked off the ground, easily soaring up into the air. Her long ponytail flew behind her and she resisted the urge to squeal, thrilled at the feeling of flying through the air again. She hadn’t had a chance to play at all since she moved back.

“You’re holding out on me, Bell,” Oliver shouted before joining her up in the air, the quaffle tucked under his arm. Lottie came to a stop and hovered, taking in a deep breath of the early fall air and smiling. She loved coming here when she was younger – it truly was one of her favorite places outside of the Hogwarts library and her reading nook at home. Oh, and her mother’s garden. Just hovering, she couldn’t help as a flood of happy memories came rushing back.

Playing matches with her friends and then having a picnic afterwards. The rush of the wind through her hair. Oliver cheering for her whenever she scored, whether or not they were playing on the same team. She hoped that perhaps they could get back to those times. Though it seemed that most everyone had moved on from the war, she could still see shadows of it in their eyes.

Yes, getting back into weekends at the park sounded like a lovely idea. She’d bring it up with Katie. Or Oliver...

“Alright… so… first to 50 points?” Oliver asked, tossing the quaffle up and down a few times. 

“Make it 100,” Lottie said before shooting forward and managing to swipe the quaffle from the air before he could catch it again. Oliver sat there a bit stunned for a moment before he finally took off after her. 

By the time he caught up, she had just launched it through the air. Speeding up, Oliver moved past her and just barely batted the quaffle from the hoop. Lottie laughed as she flew after it, attempting to get it before he could.

“You sure you want me to take it easy?” Oliver shouted as she grabbed the quaffle and flew back halfway down the field before coming to a stop and studying the hoops. He settled in front of the middle hoop, waiting for her to make a move. 

Lottie just grinned as she hovered a bit before flying forward, zigzagging down the field, Oliver watching her closely. She went back and forth a few times over which hoop she would shoot for, but intentionally waited until the last second to make a decision, knowing he was looking for any sort of tell.

She zagged left but managed to shoot the ball to the right. Oliver started left at first, a look of surprise coming over his face before he quickly shot towards the right. But it was too late as the quaffle flew just passed his outstretched fingertips and through the hoop. Lottie couldn’t help the shout of triumph that left her lips as she threw her hands up in the air. She honestly wasn’t expecting to make that one and reckoned he had figured out which direction she was going to shoot before she had even done so.

The celebration was short lived, however. Once Oliver had retrieved the ball, he was streaking down the pitch towards the other hoops, with Lottie trailing behind. She flattened herself against her broomstick, willing herself to go faster so that she could get up ahead of him and guard the hoops. But with Oliver’s skill (and high-end broom that was far faster than her own Comet Two Ninety) she couldn’t quite get there and ended up flying just at his side. 

It was then that Lottie got the idea. She would never get ahead of him, so perhaps she could bring him back to her. Reaching out, Lottie grabbed onto the tail of his t-shirt, yanking back with all her might. Though he had loads more muscle on her, Oliver still jerked slightly, slowing his speed as a look of surprise came over his face and he nearly dropped the quaffle.

Lottie grinned before ramming into his side, reaching for the ball at the same time.

“That’s a foul” Oliver shouted with a laugh.

Lottie didn’t respond, just tried again to knock the quaffle out of his hands, but once again failed. Oliver slowed down and launched the ball forward. Lottie continued flying, trying to catch up to it, but it sailed through the center hoop just before she did. 

“Nice try!” Oliver shouted after her as she chased the quaffle down. 

“Oh, just you wait…”

~~~

“Okay… truce,” Oliver shouted. Lottie could only nod in response before the two flew to the ground and hopped off their brooms. She then promptly fell down to the ground on her back , still trying to catch her breath as she stared up at the blue sky.

She wouldn’t say this out loud, but she was grateful that Oliver had ended the match there. They had been playing for two hours and even with all her auror training, going into the gym often and playing regularly in New York, she was far more winded than she expected she’d be. Merlin, how the hell did anyone make it through a full-fledged, 3 to 6-hour professional match without collapsing in exhaustion?

The score had been dead even at 60-60 for the last 45 minutes and she wasn’t sure if she had it in her to even attempt another goal, considering how she had to fight just to get those first ones.

“Seems you’ve still got your skill,” Oliver said, falling back on the ground next to her. Lottie looked over at him, meeting his warm brown eyes.

“Did keep up with playing while I was away,” she said.

“So Kates tells me,” he replied. 

“Truth now - how easy were you going on me?” she asked. Oliver scrunched up his face in concentration as he looked up at the sky.

“Not that easy,” he said. Lottie chuckled and looked up, not really believing him. As it was, he seemed barely winded. There was no way he had played at his fullest capacity.

“Liar,” she replied, turning her head to him again. He chuckled and for a moment, Lottie found herself getting lost in his eyes. But then she mentally slapped herself and forced her focus. This wasn’t a date.

“You hungry?” he asked. 

“Famished,” Lottie replied.

“Good thing I thought to bring some food then,” he said, grinning.

Oliver sat up and then pushed up off the ground before turning and holding his hand out to her. Lottie grabbed it and he pulled her up, though she stumbled slightly once upright. 

“Careful,” he replied, placing his hands on her waist to steady her. If her face weren’t already red from the match, she was sure that she’d be blushing all over again. Oliver smiled down at her and then bashfully turned away, leading her back to their bags as he took her hand in his.

Oh. Perhaps this _was_ a date… He had certainly never held her hand before. For a moment, Lottie felt like she was 16 again, her stomach a basket of butterflies because her crush was holding her hand. She found there was a warm comfort in the callouses and the way his large hand surrounded her smaller one. It was far different from the feel of Marcus holding it.

Lottie then shook her head. No. She was not going to think about _that_ right now.

Once they got back to their bags, he let go and bent down, pulling out first a blanket and then lying it down on the ground. He then returned to his bag and pulled a large picnic basket out and sat it on the blanket. Lottie couldn’t help but be a bit impressed as she sat down and Oliver joined her, pulling an array of food out of the basket and laying it out. It was far more sophisticated than what they managed to put together for their picnics back in school.

He finally pulled out a bottle of wine and two glasses, then poured one for each of them.

“Some spread,” Lottie said, smiling as she held her glass out to him. He blushed as he clinked his glass against hers. Merlin, he was adorable when he blushed. Lottie couldn’t believe that _she_ – shy, Little Lottie – was making _the_ Oliver Wood – her crush to end all crushes in Hogwarts – blush. Was she in some sort of alternate universe?

“Just a bit of something I put together…”

~~~

Oliver was very glad that he had already worked up a bit of a sweat during the game because he was sure that he would be sweating profusely as they sat down for the picnic with Lottie sitting close to his side. He had enlisted his older sister’s help in getting the picnic together as the only thing he really knew how to make was a ham sandwich. 

He did actually make those, but Clara insisted he needed more food and ended up dragging him to the shops. By the time they were finished, he had a selection of fruit and veggies along with the ingredients to make a few salads and dips. She then forced him to help her make everything, that way he technically wouldn’t be lying if he said that he made it. But he still felt odd about taking all the credit.

In fact, he wasn’t sure he could even take credit for the entire date. After spending two days rejecting every idea that came into his head, he begged Katie for help. When she suggested taking Lottie to the park where they used to play quidditch, he thought it brilliant and wondered just why he hadn’t considered it. She had always had fun there in school and from what he remembered of her back then, he felt she might prefer to be somewhere that she knew. That made her comfortable.

Katie then mentioned that Lottie was still every bit into quidditch as she was before, and he had decided perhaps she might like a small one-on-one match.

He had been a bit worried at first, but so far it appeared things were going smoothly. If he could just get himself to speak correctly. And get his heart to stop speeding up every time she smiled at him.

He was starting to better understand just why he hadn’t managed to have a proper girlfriend in years.

“It’s just… bit of something,” he stuttered before taking a sip of his wine. Lottie continued to watch him, an eyebrow raised. “Well… Clara helped…”

“Nothing wrong with that. Certainly a large amount of food. Large enough you might need help,” Lottie said. 

“Ehm, well actually, she did most of it and I helped,” Oliver confessed, causing Lottie to laugh loudly. Merlin, why couldn’t he have just kept his mouth shut? Now she would think that he was helpless. 

“And the truth comes out,” she proclaimed, though she didn’t seem to be mocking him. “Relax, Wood. I’m no whizz in the kitchen either. Doubt I’d be able to pull of something like this on my own as well.” Oliver breathed a bit easier. “How is your sister? Been years since I’ve seen her... I saw she’s still at Witch Weekly.”

“Yea, she loves it there,” he replied, thankful that they were focusing on that and not his complete lack in ability to cook. “She’s been good. Got married several years back and has a little boy.”

“So you’re an uncle now?” Lottie asked. Oliver nodded. “Welcome to the club.”

“Michael’s a lively bugger. Clara nearly killed me when I got him a toy broom for his last birthday,” he said. Lottie laughed loudly.

“Sounds about like the Clara I remember,” she mused.

“I’m sure she’d like to see you again,” Oliver said, looking over at her.

“Oh, I’m sure she’s too busy,” Lottie said, blushing slightly. “And she probably doesn’t remember me-”

“Course she does,” Oliver said, cutting her off. “Always liked you. Said you and Kates were the best Bells in the bunch.” Lottie snorted. 

“Probably because Adam and Bernie wouldn’t leave her alone at Hogwarts,” she replied dryly. “Merlin, you don’t know how many fights those two got into over Clara.” 

“I have a fair idea from the ones I saw in the common room,” Oliver said with a snort. “Never really understood why _my_ sister… always thought her annoying…”

“I think that’s a universal youngest sibling trait. We all are infuriated by our older siblings,” Lottie said with a smile. Oliver chuckled.

“You more so than most, I should think. Even I felt embarrassed with how Adam and Bernie were a few times,” he said. “They ever grow out of it?”

“Still waiting,” Lottie quipped.

“Though, they were always the life of the party...” Oliver mused. 

“I’m sure they were,” Lottie said, rolling her eyes. “Try growing up with them… and Charlie. Constantly on my case about this or that. The only time we managed to get along was when we talked quidditch, though even then we had some epic rows…”

Oliver chuckled as Lottie continued on talking about her brothers, remembering a couple of those arguments. Lottie had always been a Puddlemere fan - another reason Oliver thought of her fondly - while her two oldest brothers were Wasps fans. They would often team up against her, though from what he remembered, Lottie had held her own fairly well. 

It was one of the few times that he had ever seen her fearless, he realized. A small pipsqueak of a thing, glaring up at the giants that were her brothers with her hands on her hips and a smart retort on her lips. He had always been a bit in awe of her transformation during those rows.

“What made you want to go to the US?” he asked suddenly. “Just to get away from your brothers?” Lottie chuckled.

“Partially,” she admitted. “I just… wanted something new. And preferably something away from the whole lot of them. Something… challenging…” She tilted her head to the side. “Didn’t realize just how much I would love being an auror…”

“I’ll admit, I was a bit surprised when I heard that’s what you went into,” he confessed. “Figured you’d go into research or something.” Lottie nodded slowly.

“Fairly sure my entire family thought so as well. And… everyone who knew me...,” she said. “I didn’t really know what I wanted to do after we left Hogwarts. That’s another reason why I went to the US. Wanted to figure that out, I suppose… Then forge ahead on my own without anyone breathing down my neck.” 

Oliver was silent a bit, really studying her. Lottie had changed so much over the years. She was no longer nervous or skittish. She looked comfortable in her skin. Constantly happy. She looked people in the eyes rather than glance around nervously or look at her feet. And her hands were still, not playing with her hair, her bag or anything within grabbing reach. It really was like she was a completely different person.

“Why come back?” he then asked. She glanced at him and then down at her glass of wine. 

“Wanted to come back sooner,” she said, her voice going softer. “Thought I could do something to help, but it was hard to get over here…” 

“No one blames you,” Oliver said quickly, sensing her guilt. “In fact, I’m glad that you were far away during it all…” Lottie raised her eyebrows as she met his gaze. “It was… I know that you’re an auror and you probably have seen some difficult things, but… I pray no one has to see a war.”

“How bad was it? For you?” she asked. “Charlie would tell me things, but Bernie and Adam… I think they don’t want me to know…”

“For me personally… it didn’t get so bad until the very end. Just before the battle… Had a few friends and teammates that I helped into hiding. And then got word about the battle,” he stopped speaking, looking down at his lap. Two years later and he still struggled with talking about everything that he saw and experienced that day.

Lottie reached over and grabbed his hand, squeezing it. He looked back up, seeing a soft look in her eyes.

“We don’t have to talk about it if it’s too hard,” she said quietly. He smiled.

“Thanks…”

~~~

Lottie leaned back on her sofa that night, a warm smile on her face. She and Oliver had sat in the park until nearly dusk, reliving various old memories and stories from school, then talking about their current jobs.

She was surprised at just how much he had noticed about her back then. How much he noticed about her now.

The entire day had been relaxed and she couldn’t help but think he made her feel at ease. There were no airs or attempts to impress. No need to put on an act. Just happy, easy and natural conversation that left her cheeks and sides hurting from so much laughter. In a way, Lottie found that she felt at home with him. Comfortable. Granted, they had still spent a fair amount of time talking quidditch, going over the various teams and their prospects for the season. Penny would be happy that Lottie had found another outlet for that so she wouldn’t constantly bring it up.

Lottie’s thoughts then turned to the chaste kiss that Oliver had left on her cheek when he dropped her off. She was certain that she was still blushing from that.

“Take it the date went well,” Penny said as she walked into the flat. Lottie sat up and looked over at her best friend, her eyes wide. Was she supposed to come over and she had forgotten? “Ah, yes… you are still blushing.”

“Am not!” Lottie shouted. Penny just grinned smugly as she walked over and plopped down on the sofa, placing a bottle of wine on the coffee table. 

“Yes, you are. How does it feel to have fulfilled your Hogwarts dream of dating Oliver Wood?” Penny asked. Lottie’s blush deepened. 

“One date. And I’m still not sure if that even _was_ a date,” she said, starting to play with her ponytail. “Took me to the old park where we’d hang out in school. Played quidditch.”

“Why am I not surprised?” Penny asked, rolling her eyes slightly. “It’s all I can do to get you to discuss anything but that damn sport. Or your job.”

“I’m not that bad,” Lottie replied. “But it was a really wonderful afternoon.” She sighed happily. “We’re planning to meet up again next weekend…”

“Just be sure that you don’t double book,” Penny sang, studying her nails. Lottie looked up, her eyes wide. 

“Bloody hell, I forgot,” she said, suddenly remembering that she had also agreed to meet up with Marcus next weekend as well. Penny’s smug grin returned as she took in the slight look of terror on Lottie’s face. “Maybe I shouldn’t-”

“Charlotte Bell. Do not talk yourself out of this,” Penny said firmly. “Unless… are you feeling more for Oliver than Marcus?”

Lottie was silent, thinking it over. True, Oliver had made her feel comfortable and relaxed. And she had enjoyed her day with him. But there was something exciting about Marcus. There was an air of danger and adventure when she was with him. As though she were stepping into uncharted territory that she finally was not afraid of.

“I don’t know,” Lottie finally said, turning to face Penny. “They’re both so very different…”

“It’s been one date. If you aren’t sure about either of them, then I don’t think that’s unreasonable,” Penny said calmly. “Did either ask you to be exclusive?”

“Well… no-”

“Then you don’t have to worry. Though if it really bothers you, just be honest and tell them that you’re seeing other people,” Penny said. Lottie frowned slightly. “Do not give that look. Enjoy your life a bit more, Lottie!” She looked over at her best friend and sighed, a small smile appearing.

“Guess you’re right,” she said.

“Of course, I am. I’m always right. Now… tell me more about your day with Oliver…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we have the first date with Oliver! I'm having so much fun writing this story and keeping people guessing just who (if anyone) is going to win. Go ahead and let me know if you're Team Wood or Team Flint in the comments!


	6. A Little Help From Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lottie meets up with Penny to discuss her dates, not realizing that she is among eavesdroppers...

**A Little Help From Friends**

Lottie fell onto the stool and swiveled around to face Penny in the pub. She was already halfway through her cocktail. Lottie had meant to get there earlier, but the case she was working on had, unsurprisingly, kept her at the office longer than she expected. Rather, the _cases_ she was working on. Her workload seemed to have doubled in size for some reason.

While normally she wouldn’t complain about her workload, she was beginning to get a bit frustrated with the quality. She wished the Ministry would give her something a bit more challenging. Something to really sink her teeth into. As it was, she and Potter were close to breaking a new record on solve rate with the tiny cases that had been thrown at them lately. 

She wasn’t completely sure the reasoning behind it. Perhaps they were testing her in her first few weeks in the department. Perhaps they were trying to push for Potter to finish the hours required in order to be considered a full-fledged auror. Perhaps her brother Bernard was behind it.

“Better be a good reason for you being late,” Penny said, looking up at her.

“When is work not a good reason?” Lottie scoffed as she waved down the bartender and ordered a drink. “Though, even Potter was complaining today, and I don’t think I’ve ever heard him complain.”

“Case getting complicated?” Penny asked, putting her glass down. 

“No. They’ve given us several more to work on,” Lottie replied, smiling happily as the bartender put her drink down in front of her. “It’s nothing I can’t handle, but Merlin, the Ministry certainly loves its paperwork.”

“Tell me about it,” Penny said, huffing slightly. “Why can’t you just make Potter do all of it for you? Isn’t that what he’s there for?”

“He’s not an intern,” Lottie said, looking over at her best friend. “He’s there to learn how to solve cases. And you definitely cannot learn that by filling out paperwork. Takes actually going out and doing it. Even if it’s not as challenging as I would like. Get the feeling Bernie may have something to do with that.”

“The git,” Penny replied. “I thought he couldn’t pull rank on you.”

“Wouldn’t be surprised if he figured out a way,” Lottie said with a slight roll of her eyes. It was true. If there was a way for Bernard to keep her off dangerous cases, he certainly would find it. Perhaps she should speak to him about it.

Merlin knew it wouldn’t be the first argument the two siblings had in the auror office. Even Potter had learned by now to stay out of the way when it came to the two Bells.

“So...,” Penny said as she took another drink. “How are things with your lads?” Lottie shushed her as she glanced around them nervously.

You never really knew when one of the nosey reporters from Witch Weekly or The Prophet were around. And the absolute last thing she needed was for either man to find out that she had been out with the other. Not while she was still trying to figure things out herself. While she had decided to be truthful with them, she wasn’t sure it was so good for them to know about the other, if their feud from Hogwarts was anything to go by. She was still curious as to how they got on playing for the same team as it was. 

“No one knows what I’m talking about, Lottie,” Penny chided.

“But they could,” Lottie retorted, narrowing her eyes slightly as she lowered her voice.

“You’re letting your work get to your head,” Penny said. “Not everyone is out to get you.”

“I didn’t think that,” Lottie retorted.

“And I highly doubt that anyone knows that you went on dates with-”

“SHHH!” Lottie nearly shouted as she reached out and smacked her hand over Penny’s mouth. The other woman just stared at her, raising an eyebrow in her direction. “You were going to say their names.” Penny just blinked. Lottie pulled her hand back.

“As I’ve said, you’re doing absolutely nothing wrong,” Penny said, crossing one leg over the other. “It’s been one date.”

“But I’m going out on second dates with both of them,” Lottie said, turning to face the bar.

“And?” Penny asked. “Still don’t understand just what the big deal is. You’re just exploring your options. And Merlin, you need more excitement in your life.” Lottie stared at her drink a bit more, then looked over at Penny, a small smile on her face.

“I suppose that it’s a bit exciting,” she conceded. “Never had two blokes interested in me at the same time.” Penny snorted. 

“You’re seeing two rather fit men. I’d say it’s a bit more than exciting,” she replied. “Dare say you haven’t had this much excitement in your love life since… well… ever.”

“Have so,” Lottie shot back. “Ehm… well... guess not. I mean, Aiden certainly was charming and thrilling in the beginning. And Merlin, those eyes of his… but that eventually wore off…”

“Aiden was a jerk and a bastard,” Penny said. “And so not in your league.” Lottie chuckled as she raised her glass to her lips.

“Still can’t believe it. Hogwarts me would be dying about now,” she mused. “Dates with Marcus Flint and Oliver Wood…”

“Going to be a rather tough decision when it comes down to it,” Penny said. “I don’t envy you that… one the former bad boy with brooding, smoldering looks. Then on the other, you’ve got the boy-next-door with that smile that makes your knees weak and your knickers-”

“Penny!” Lottie shouted, though she was laughing loudly.

“You know it’s true,” Penny said with a smirk. “Merlin, even I had a bit of a crush on him at Hogwarts, though I was dating his best friend at the time.” Lottie just shook her head.

“Merlin, can’t I just get through the second date before you start planning my wedding?” Lottie replied.

“Most definitely not planning your wedding. If anything, I’m planning your next shag,” Penny scoffed, causing Lottie to laugh again. 

“Not to that point either,” she said, shaking her head. “Not yet, anyway.”

“Should be,” Penny replied. Lottie didn’t bother responding, only took a drink.

“I mean, was the outing with Oliver even-”

“Good gods, shut it! If I have to hear you overanalyze either date - yes, they were both dates - again, I’m going to hex myself,” Penny said. Lottie just sighed and stared down at her drink. “The important thing is, how do you feel?”

“Well… I suppose I just want to get to know them a bit more. Both of them,” Lottie said, looking over at her. “A lot of time has passed and none of us are really who we were back then. A lot of lost time to catch up on…”

“And the fact that you didn’t really know Flint all that well to begin with, considering you ran in the opposite direction every time you saw him,” Penny pointed out. 

“True,” Lottie admitted. “He doesn’t seem nearly as smarmy as he did back then. Though most definitely still likes to put on the charm. But… he seems more genuine now.”

“He did fight against You Know Who,” Penny offered. Lottie frowned slightly as she looked at her best friend. “Some of the others from Slytherin, they joined up with them, but for some reason he didn’t.”

“Figured he hadn’t since he’s out and about, but… never thought he’d actually _fight_ against them,” Lottie said, surprised. She figured most of the Slytherins who didn’t want to join likely hid somewhere until it was all over, not really wanting to pick a side. It seemed a lot really had changed.

“Well, he was there. Fighting with the rest of us,” Penny said with a bit of forced cheerfulness, speaking the way she usually did when she desperately wanted to talk about something else. Lottie reached over and patted her hand. 

Penny had stayed with her for a couple months after that last battle. At first, she didn’t say much about it - preferring to throw herself into going to all her favorite museums and sights. Eventually she had broken down. But Lottie knew just how much she - like many, likely - didn’t like to bring it up. 

“So, you set dates?” Penny asked, her face smoothing out into a smile. Lottie chuckled.

“Working on it…”

~~~

Katie froze, then ducked behind another person quickly. She had seen Penny and Lottie from across the way and had hurried over to say hi, not knowing that the two were going out for drinks that night. She had heard from Oliver that the date went well and the two were owling back and forth about meeting up that next weekend. Truthfully, she remembered Lottie’s crush on him in Hogwarts and had hoped they would hit it off.

She had always been of the mind that they would make a good couple. Even back in school. If only Lottie would have gotten over her near crippling insecurities. Katie never really understood just why her older cousin had been that way. She always thought her pretty and smart. And decent at quidditch. She had been utterly thrilled to see the progress she made coming out of her shell in New York over the years.

But what she wasn’t expecting that night was to hear that her cousin was also seeing Marcus Flint. Katie glanced through the crowd again, seeing Lottie chuckling as Penny smirked at her.

When had she even run into Flint? As far as Katie was aware, Lottie had been rather tied up in work outside of the few times they had met up and her date with Oliver. And didn’t she remember how Flint had treated her in school? Surely that alone would be enough to turn her off from him.

What’s more, Wood and Flint _were_ teammates. That could get fairly dirty, fairly quickly. Just how was Lottie planning to play this one off? Perhaps Katie should sneak closer and listen in a bit more.

“What’s gotten into you?” Alicia asked, stepping up to her and taking in Katie’s odd look. Katie jumped slightly, not hearing her or Angelina walk up, she was so focused on watching Lottie.

“Oh, it’s Lottie and Penny! Let’s go say hello,” Angelina then said, starting towards the two.

“No!” Katie cried out, reaching out to grab Angelina’s arm. The chaser stopped walking and turned to look at Katie, her brow furrowed.

“Something wrong?” she asked as Alicia looked over at Lottie and Penny then back at Katie, her eyebrows raised. Katie sighed.

“I just overheard them… apparently Lottie’s been on dates with both Marcus Flint and Wood,” she said, sounding as though it were the worst thing in the world.

“While I question her choice of Flint, I’m not sure just what the issue is,” Alicia said. “Has she mentioned being exclusive with either of them?”

“She didn’t even tell me about Flint,” Katie replied. “And I was really hoping that she and Wood would work out. They really are perfect for each other…”

“Still could,” Angelina said. “You said yourself that she was going to meet up with him again.”

“Yes, but… he’s got competition now,” Katie said, still frowning. “You know how things have always gone down between him and Flint… Not to mention, Flint’s always played dirty.” Alicia studied her a moment before she started grinning.

“And that’s precisely why we’re going to help Wood,” she stated. Both Angelina and Katie looked at her in confusion. “Oh, come on. We all know how hopeless he can be when it comes to women. Just… think of it as giving him a fair advantage. Evening the playing field. You know Lottie fairly well. We all know Wood. We’ll just… help push them in the right direction. Towards each other.”

“I’m not sure that’s such a good idea… Lottie hates meddling. Gets a fair bit of it from her brothers,” Katie murmured, looking back over at Lottie and Penny.

“Come on, Kates. Do you or do you not want those two to end up together? Or would you rather Flint as a cousin-in-law?” Alicia snapped. Katie looked back at her with wide eyes. 

“But shouldn’t we-”

“We are going to help Wood. But we’re not going to tell him about Flint,” Angelina interjected. Alicia shot her a look. “You remember what they used to be like. The last thing either of them needs is to be at each other’s throats. Again.” Alicia huffed.

“Fine. But we’re still helping. It’s the right thing to do,” she said, crossing her arms in front of her. They both looked over at Katie, who still seemed to be hesitating. 

“You do remember the massive crush she had on him at school,” Alicia pushed. Katie continued to waver. “And you saw how happy he was after their date… Imagine how brokenhearted he’ll be if she dumps him for Flint.” Finally, Katie sighed and shook her head.

“Fine, we’ll help. But nothing underhanded,” she said. Alicia just grinned and started pulling the two women over to an open table in the corner.

“Let’s get started, shall we?”

~~~

Adrian Pucey could not believe his luck.

He had sat at the bar, waiting for his mates to show up. And then a beautiful woman had sat next to him. Penelope Clearwater. He was just about to turn to her when another joined her. But it wasn’t the prospect of flirting with two beautiful women that had him excited.

No, it was overhearing their conversation.

Apparently the one who came late was none other than Smelly Bells. Er, well, Lottie Bell, he should call her now. And she was talking about Marcus. And then she had mentioned she also went on a date with Wood.

This was interesting news. News that he planned to put to good use. 

He sat and listened a bit longer before standing and picking up his glass, walking over to an open table on the other side of the bar. He checked his watch and then looked up, seeing Warrington and Higgs finally walk into the pub. They walked over and dropped into the other chairs at the table, both of them looking rather exhausted. He wasn’t sure why Higgs was so tired - as far as Pucey knew, he had a posh job working at his father’s broom company. Nothing as tiring as a full day of practice on the pitch, in his mind. Though he was lucky in that his coach let them off early. Warrington looked as though he’d much rather be home right now than out. Coach probably made them do extra drills after losing to Puddlemere. 

It was a shame that Flint wasn’t there. But he supposed this was better. Adrian didn’t want him aware of the plan that was already forming in his mind. Though eventually he’d tell him - when the time was right.

“Took you long enough,” Adrian remarked.

“Some of us had work,” Higgs replied, frowning. 

“I worked today as well,” Pucey shot back. “We just finished up practice a bit earlier than usual.” Higgs rolled his eyes. “But, good thing you’re here. I’ve got news.”

“I don’t want to hear about another bird that you’ve picked up,” Warrington complained.

“You always like my stories, but that’s not it,” Pucey said. He looked over towards the bar and then pointed over his shoulder with his thumb. 

“Why you pointing at Clearwater?” Higgs asked, squinting towards the bar.

“I’m pointing at Clearwater… and Smelly Bells sitting next to her,” Adrian said, now grinning. Both Warrington and Higg’s mouths dropped open as they gawked at the other woman. That was the reaction he was expecting. He had nearly done the same when he took in just how much she had changed over the years.

“Now I see why Flint’s so keen on her,” Warrington said. “She got fit.”

“Get this… she also went on a date with Oliver Wood last weekend,” Adrian continued. Both men looked over at him, frowning.

“She mention this to Flint?” Higgs asked.

“You honestly think we wouldn’t know if she had?” Adrian asked, still smiling.

“Fail to see how this is good news,” Warrington said, studying Pucey’s demeanor. “She’s already two-timing him. We should tell him.”

“No, we shouldn’t,” Adrian said quickly. “And it’s been one date. They aren’t even together… yet.”

“But still,” Higgs added. “He’s got competition.”

“No, we’re going to help,” Adrian said.

“You sure Flint needs help?” Warrington asked. “Never needed it before and I’m not so sure he’d appreciate it…”

“And you’re telling me that you wouldn’t love the chance to wipe that smug grin off Wood’s face?” Pucey asked. “Always enjoyed it in school.”

“Thought the feud was over,” Warrington said. “Why should we care to get involved? This isn’t Hogwarts, mate.” 

“Because,” Adrian stated. “It’ll be fun.” The two other men just stared at him. “And we all know that she had a thing for Wood in school. Seriously, Flint _needs_ our help.” Higgs and Warrington glanced at each other and then back at Pucey, still not completely convinced.

“Flint’s already got to make up for the fact that he made fun of her in school,” Pucey continued. “Add in that she’s always had a thing for Wood, well then, I don’t see why we shouldn’t step in.”

“And how do you propose we _help_?” Higgs asked with a heavy sigh. Adrian grinned again, already seeing that he was starting to wear him down. 

“Just… give him advice on how to woo her. I can look into her, find the best ways to win her over. Share this with Flint,” Adrian said. “Trust me, if anyone knows the best way to find things out about a woman, it’s me.” Both men gave him a dubious look.

“No sabotage?” Warrington asked, seeming a bit surprised that wasn’t the first thing Adrian suggested. While Pucey didn’t seem to agree with dirty tactics on the pitch, he certainly enjoyed them off.

“Perhaps… but only if necessary,” Adrian said. “We’re doing this to help Flint. Not chance that it’ll backfire.”

“You sure it’s not for your own sick enjoyment?” Higgs asked, smiling slightly. “Because it sounds exactly like something you’d do for your own sick enjoyment.” Pucey sighed.

“Help me, don’t help me. That’s your choice. I’m doing it regardless,” he said. Both men studied him and then each other.

“Fine, we’re in,” Warrington said. “But only to make sure you don’t do something stupid that mucks things up with Flint and Bell.”

“Excellent. Now… here’s what I have in mind first…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finished another chapter, so decided to post another. Things are starting to get a bit more interesting...


	7. Let's Get It Started

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And the friends decide it's time to "help".

**Let’s Get it Started**

Oliver wasn’t quite sure why the girls wanted to meet up with him after practice that day, but he had long ago learned not to question them. Which is why when Katie had flounced up to him just before he went into shower after practice and ordered him to be at her and Alicia’s place that night, he had agreed without another word.

Now he was sitting in their flat, a beer in hand, as Angelina and Alicia went on about their days, wondering just why he was there again. Not that he didn’t mind hanging out with them, just, this seemed an awful lot like a girls’ night. 

“So… how was your date with Lottie?” Alicia asked suddenly, causing him to sputter a bit on his beer. There it was. The reason he was there.

“We just went to the old park and played quidditch,” he said, coughing slightly. Alicia huffed.

“Wow, way to woo her, Wood,” she said dryly, frowning. Oliver frowned back.

“She enjoyed it. We’re supposed to meet up this weekend, as you know,” he said. “And well, Katie was the one who mentioned the park… Clara got me to put together a picnic. Stayed until nearly dark talking.”

Alicia shared a look with Katie, as though she were confirming his account. The blonde nodded but said nothing.

“Though… to be honest… I’m not exactly sure where we stand. We had fun and she seemed to be enjoying herself, but…” Oliver stopped speaking, not sure how to complete that statement. 

It was true. While he had thought that things went well and they had exchanged a few owls since then, he wasn’t completely sure if she saw him as just a friend to reconnect with or something more.

There had been a fair bit of flirting. But then again, Oliver had never been all too good at reading anyone off a quidditch pitch. Especially women he was attracted to. Add it that Lottie was vastly different than before, and everything was a right good mess.

“Suppose it’s just… new,” he finally said. 

“Alright, what’s your plan for your next date,” Alicia asked, seeming rather business-like about it. Which immediately had Oliver suspicious. Just why did she care? He glanced around to the others, noticing the hopeful look on Katie’s face and the rather calculating look on Angelina’s. Blimey, were they all in on this?

“Ehm… still working on that…,” he admitted before taking a large drink. Truth be told, he wasn’t sure where to take her. Maybe just a casual dinner and drinks? Or would she like to go to a match with him? She did really like quidditch, that he was sure of.

“You are not taking her to a match,” Alicia said, rolling her eyes. 

“What? I wasn’t… she could like it,” Oliver said, frowning again. How did Alicia know what he was thinking? “She likes quidditch!”

“Yes, but it’s what you always do. And it usually only works to a point until they get tired of it. You’ve got to change your game,” Alicia said.

“And just why are you so invested?” Oliver shot back. “And just what’s wrong with my game?”

“Your game hasn’t worked the last few witches,” Alicia said pointedly. “Or… any of them if I’m being honest.”

“We’d like to see you last longer than three dates,” Angelina said gently, though she shot a look to Alicia that he couldn’t quite decipher. Alicia glared back at her, but then huffed and shook her head.

“We just want you to be happy and you seem to really get on with Lottie,” Katie added. “And well… you know how she used to be… figured you’d be good for her as well.”

“You have any other ideas?” Alicia asked.

“Thought maybe dinner and drinks… know a few good places,” he suggested, hoping they didn’t ask him just what said places were. He was planning to ask Katie what sort of food Lottie liked, though definitely did not want to do that in front of Alicia. Perhaps he should ask his sister for help again. 

Alicia glanced over at Katie, who took a deep breath.

“Actually… I have an idea that I know Lottie would like,” she said. Oliver looked over at her, eager to hear it. “When she was in New York, she really got into muggle musicals… and just so happens that one of her favorites is going to be at the West End coming up soon…”

Oliver slowly started to grin. It was perfect. A night out at dinner and then the theater. No matter that he didn’t have the foggiest idea about it, he could learn before then. And if it was something Lottie loved, he was willing to give it a go. Hadn’t she mentioned something about that last weekend? Yes, she had. This would be perfect, he decided.

“How do I get tickets?” he asked. 

“Ehm, well… I just so happen to already have two for opening night,” Katie continued. The grin faded off his face.

“What’s this? You lot think I can’t handle a date on my own?” he asked, looking around at the three of them.

“Of course not!” Katie exclaimed. “I had gotten them for me and Lottie, but if you wanted to buy them off me and take her, I’m more than willing to do that. Really, you should see the show. It’s fantastic. She took me all the time when I went to visit her.”

Oliver studied her a moment, deciding that something was most definitely going on. The three women obviously knew something but weren’t keen on sharing whatever it was with him.

But at the same time, he did want to impress Lottie so that she would think of him as more than just a friend. And this seemed like a good bet on doing that. He finally sighed and shook his head.

“Suppose that’s a fair idea,” he said.

Katie squealed and hopped up from her chair, running over to grab an envelope off the kitchen table and then running back. Alicia was wearing a smug grin, while Angelina seemed happy. She held it out to Oliver.

“You should surprise her with the tickets,” Katie gushed. “She’ll love it.”

“Alright then…”

~~~

Marcus sighed as he sat down at the table in his favorite pub and glanced around at his three closest friends. They were often meeting up, so when Pucey had owled him about meeting up after work that day, he hadn’t thought anything of it. But he couldn’t help but notice there was a different sort of air around them that night.

Higgs poured him a beer from a pitcher and pushed it over.

“Good practice?” he asked. Marcus grunted the affirmative before taking a drink. 

“The usual. Work good?” he asked. Higgs nodded, though glanced over at Pucey and Warrington.

“The usual,” he said in response. “If you’re up for it, we’re nearly finished with the new prototype. Could use some professional feedback.

“Sure,” Marcus agreed. He hoped this one was better than the last. Had nearly gotten a concussion when it threw him off.

“How’s Bell?” Pucey asked smoothly, though both Higgs and Warrington shot him looks. Marcus didn’t think much of it, still a bit tired from training.

“Good. Still trying to nail down a time to meet. Seems she’s been dealing with a fair bit more work than usual,” he replied. “Merlin, can you believe she became an auror?” Pucey snorted slightly.

“Never would have thought that Smell-” He stopped talking as Marcus shot him a dark look. “I mean… Bell… would have gone into auror training. She ran away from spiders at school.” 

“Certainly changed, that’s for sure,” Marcus replied, a fond smile coming across his face. “Wasn’t expecting her to be so… entertaining.”

“So she did like the restaurant,” Adrian said, grinning. “Knew she would. All birds like that place. Where are you planning to take her next?” 

Marcus frowned slightly. He had been going over that very thing ever since he had taken Lottie out the last time. Perhaps he shouldn’t have set the bar so high. Now she would likely expect him to take her to fancy places every time. Or perhaps not - while she did seem to enjoy it, he could sense a bit of discomfort in the way she kept fussing with her dress and fidgeting every so often. Perhaps he should change it up and try something a bit more lowkey?

“Not sure,” he said. “Perhaps she might like to go to a match. She seemed to be well versed in quidditch.”

“No!” Pucey nearly shouted, causing Marcus to jump slightly. 

“Fine, I won’t,” he replied, finding his response rather overdone. Adrian smiled again.

“I mean… you should make it special,” he said smoothly. Marcus snorted.

“It’s only our second date. Not trying to get into her pants by the end of the night,” he retorted with a smirk. “Though I know that’s your usual MO.”

“Not that I think that’s a particularly bad approach, but birds like her tend to like someone with more finesse… She’s an auror, so will likely see right through any sort of scheme along those lines,” Adrian said. 

Marcus stared at him, not quite sure where this was coming from. Since when did Adrian know anything about Lottie Bell? He missed the look that went between Higgs and Warrington.

“Ehm… alright… did you have a suggestion?” Marcus asked, unsure if he wanted Pucey’s advice on the matter. But he had done well with the restaurant. Perhaps he should listen to him again.

“She likes musicals,” Pucey stated. 

“How do you know?” Marcus asked.

“I know a lot of things,” Adrian said. “How is not important, but she did live in New York a long time - it’s the capital of muggle musicals.” 

“Suppose that makes sense,” Marcus said, thinking it over. She had mentioned something about them a couple times during their date. “So… I should take her to a muggle musical on the West End?”

“Thinking a bit larger than that-”

“How do you feel about her?” Higgs asked, interrupting Pucey. Marcus looked over at him, seeing the rather serious look on his face. Higgs always was a bit more serious than the others, so it wasn’t completely out of character.

“I want to see her again,” Marcus said immediately. Higgs just gave him a look. Marcus sighed. “She’s… feel like I haven’t met many women like her. I can’t seem to completely figure her out, which I suppose is because I’m basically getting to know her all over again. She’s changed a lot. Though it’s not like I knew much about her then.”

“Do you see it going somewhere?” Warrington then asked, earning a frown from Adrian. 

“I hope so,” Marcus said, surprised at the third degree. Seemed a bit out of character for Warrington. He normally didn’t care so much about who he dated – any of them for that matter. Granted, Marcus had never been one to date anyone seriously. But there was something about Lottie that made him think the idea wasn’t so bad. “She’s a bit of a challenge. And I haven’t had someone make me feel this nervous in a long time.”

“But are you really sure this is something you want to pursue?” Higgs asked. Marcus frowned. Now they were starting to get out of hand. 

“Of course, I am,” he stated. “Or… at least I’d like to find out more about her. Surely there’s nothing wrong with that, at least?” Higgs and Warrington glanced at each other, neither seeming that convinced. “She’s different, but… still got a kindness to her that was always there. And she’s clever. Witty.” Higgs sighed and shook his head. He then looked over at Pucey, motioning for him to speak.

“I know just what you should do to impress her,” Pucey declared loudly. Marcus looked over at him, not quite understanding what this was all about. They were certainly acting odd tonight. 

“And what is that?” Marcus asked.

“As I was saying - musicals. I just so happen to know which one is Bell’s favorite,” he said, grinning. “And it’s in town.”

“So… I should take her to see it?” Marcus asked, thinking it over. It didn’t sound like such a bad idea. Even if he didn’t know the first thing about muggle theater. He had time to learn.

“Problem is, it’s sold out,” Pucey said. Marcus frowned. Then why did he bring it up? But, Adrian was still grinning. “However, I so happen to have gotten invites to a VIP party with the cast.” 

“I… what? How did you figure that out? And why?” Marcus asked, completely perplexed as how Adrian had figured all this out. He didn’t even put this much effort into his own dates. Pucey just smirked.

“Again, not important. Do you want the invites or not?” he asked. Marcus thought it over.

“Suppose I’ll take them,” he said. It was starting to sound like a good idea, even though he was still confused as to how this was happening. 

But it would certainly impress Lottie. A night out with the cast of her favorite musical. He’d go from her former bully to her new hero in a heartbeat.

“Excellent,” Pucey said, pulling an envelope out of his pocket and placing it on the table before he slid it over to Marcus. “Now… here’s where you should take her to dinner first…”

~~~

Lottie rubbed her forehead as she walked back into the office with Potter. They had been out seeing to a suspected sighting of a dark wizard who had somehow managed to evade capture after the war and it had not gone as planned. It was a total bust and ended up being a complete waste of time. 

She was frustrated. It was the first substantial case she had gotten and so far, she wasn’t doing as well as she would have liked to. Even with the help that Potter was giving. She wanted to bring this one in as quickly as possible so she could get even better cases and finally prove herself capable to whoever it was assigning cases. She wanted bigger ones like this desperately.

And possibly so she could prove herself to Bernard and get him to lay off.

“I’m sure the next tip will be worthwhile,” Harry said encouragingly. She smiled slightly as they walked towards their desks. 

“Hopefully,” she said with a sigh, appreciating his optimism. “Trust me… won’t let this one get away. Been on the run far too long.” A glint of determination entered her eyes. 

“No doubt he won’t. Not with you on the trail,” Harry replied. “And… anyone tell you that you look a bit frightening when you’re on the hunt?” Lottie chuckled.

“Just want to do the job well… and you’re not doing so bad yourself,” Lottie said as she sat down at her desk. She looked over it, intending to finish up some paperwork before they left that night, when two envelopes caught her eye. They hadn’t been there when they left. She picked them up, her cheeks reddening slightly as she saw who they were from.

“Something bad?” Harry asked cautiously, taking in her change in demeanor. 

“No,” Lottie said quickly, shoving them into her purse as her cheeks reddened further. Harry just studied her.

“Alright, Bell. Something is going on,” he said, a small smile on his face. “Anything to do with this bloke that you’re seeing?”

“I… no,” she said. Blimey, when had he picked up on that? Lottie made a point not to discuss too much of her personal life at work. Especially this. As she recalled, Potter had played on the Gryffindor team with Oliver. And knew Marcus from quidditch as well.

For whatever reason, she didn’t want the Boy Who Lived to be judging her for going out on dates with both. Even if it wasn’t anything serious just yet. And she fully intended to choose one… eventually. Wasn’t really like her to date two people at once. She barely had time and energy for one relationship as it was.

“I know that look… Little Lottie has a crush,” a deep voice said from behind her. Lottie looked over, her eyes widening as Bernard reached down into her purse and swiped the envelopes before she could even think to grab them. Damn him for still having his quidditch reflexes.

“Give those back!” Lottie shouted as she jumped to her feet. “And do not call me Little Lottie!” Bernard held them just out of her reach while he read the fronts. “Merlin, and you wonder why I stayed in the US so long!” 

“Two letters from one Oliver Wood and… Marcus Flint,” Bernard read before looking down at her, a curious look on his face. Lottie groaned and then kicked him in the shin, hard. Bernard grimaced slightly, giving Lottie the opening she needed to snatch the envelopes from him. She glared at him before walking back to her desk and sitting. Harry had already buried himself in paperwork, knowing not to say a word at this point.

“Git,” Lottie shot at him. Bernard chuckled as he bent down and rubbed his shin.

“So… what’s that about?” he asked, still grinning. “You dating both of them? Merlin, I thought I’d never see the day…”

“It’s nothing,” Lottie said, her cheeks turning red. “I’m an adult and I don’t need to inform you of every little thing that I do.”

“Ah, so you’re _doing_ something, are you?” Bernard replied. Lottie’s look darkened. How she loathed her brothers teasing her. And Bernie was certainly the worst. She was just glad that Adam wasn’t here to join in. They often fed off each other.

“Christ, how old are you?” she growled. “Shut it and go.”

“Fine… I’d rather not know,” Bernard said, chuckling as he walked away. “Don’t forget! Mum wants us all round for lunch this Sunday!” Lottie groaned and dropped her head on her desk.

There was no way Bernie wasn’t going to tell Adam. The two were likely to ambush her at lunch about it. Then her whole family would know.

“You want to talk about it?” Harry asked. She glanced up at him and then sat up. 

“Not sure,” she said, frowning down at the letters. She reached for the first one and opened it, scanning through the contents. Her eyebrows rose as she read. She then put it down and stared at it a bit longer before reaching for the other and opening it. 

Once she had finished the second letter, she sat back in her chair. 

Thankfully, neither had wanted to meet on the same night, but if she accepted, that meant another Friday and Saturday night booked. But they also hadn’t told her where they were going, only informed her of the dress code. Which had her thinking that both men were taking her out for some sort of night out on the town.

She could feel her old anxiety start to flare up a bit and she worried just how long she could keep this up. The anxiety only increased as she thought that she needed to make a decision quickly. But then she chided herself for starting to get worked up. She hadn’t spent as many years working on herself as she had just to go back to what she used to be. No, she was the new Lottie Bell. One that didn’t back away from something because it scared her. 

Sighing, Lottie just stared down at her desk. There was an odd mix of excitement and nerves running through her, both fighting for control. She had butterflies thinking about going out with both men again. But at the same time, she was confused. It seemed like both were intending to take things to the next level, but was that what she wanted? It hadn’t worked out so well the last time she tried.

Then she heard Penny’s voice in her head, telling her to just relax and have fun. To not think of things so seriously. She didn’t have to take things so seriously. Lottie sighed and shook her head, smiling slightly. She then sat up and reached for parchment and a quill.

Certainly appeared as though she was going to have some fun this weekend.


	8. There's No Business Like Show Business

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Great minds think alike.

**There’s No Business Like Show Business**

Oliver glanced nervously over at Lottie as he tugged on his new leather jacket a bit. While he was no stranger to dressing up for things - there were quite a few quidditch events throughout the season that required him to dress up - he couldn’t help but feel a bit out of place with the new clothes that Alicia and Angelina had brought him the night before the date. 

Once again, he got the feeling that something was going on. Never had they ever given him fashion advice, or in this case, forced him to wear something. But he had to admit that once he had put on the ensemble, he had liked how it all looked together. And that it was very much his style, though better.

They had wanted him to wear a tie as well, but he had opted out, feeling it was a bit too stuffy for his liking. Granted, once he saw Lottie in her dress, he worried that he had made a mistake. But then she had given him an appreciative look and that had calmed his worries.

Dinner and drinks had gone well, he thought. The conversation flowed as easily as it had at the park. And now she had her arm through his as they walked down the sidewalk towards the theater. He couldn’t help but feel a bit thrilled by their nearness the entire walk.

“Just where are you taking me?” Lottie asked, smiling up at him as her eyes twinkled. “Surely you can give away the surprise now?”

“Almost there,” he said as they turned a corner and the theater came into view. Lottie stopped as her mouth dropped open and her eyes widened.

“Phantom of the Opera? Merlin, I’ve been trying to get tickets since I heard it was coming to town but haven’t been able to,” she exclaimed brightly. She then looked up at him, the awe apparent in her gaze. “How did you manage? And how did you know?” Oliver shrugged, hoping that he wasn’t currently blushing. He was a professional quidditch player, dammit, and they did not blush.

“You mentioned you liked musicals, so I asked Kates if you might like this one,” he said casually, leading her towards the entrance and carefully glossing over the fact that the whole idea had been Katie’s.

Lottie blushed slightly as she smiled up at him.

“Seems you’ve been doing your research, Mr. Wood,” she said lightly. “First the old park and then this… you could have been an auror with all the things you’ve figured out about me.”

“Not so sure about that,” he said with a nervous chuckle. “Fairly sure quidditch is the only thing I’m good at… And well, I am friends with Kates, so it’s not like I had to dig too far...”

“You’re good at other things than quidditch. I remember that you did fairly well at class - well, anything other than potions. And… you were always a great friend,” Lottie said. There it was - she only saw him as a friend. Oliver couldn’t help as his heart dropped slightly. “And you’re obviously incredibly kind and thoughtful. Figuring out the things that I like… certainly goes a long way with impressing me.” He looked down at her, noticing the brilliant grin on her face and slightly pink tinge to her cheeks as she continued looking forward, almost as though she were too shy to meet his eyes. 

That was not how someone who thought you were only friends reacted… was it?

The two hurried into the theater and Oliver was a bit surprised himself when he saw that Katie had gotten them box seats. No wonder they had been so bloody expensive. They both got settled as Lottie looked out around the theater, making small exclamations here and there. 

“So, why is it that this is your favorite musical?” he asked, finding it curious just how much she seemed to love it already and the show hadn’t even started. Lottie looked over at him.

“It’s hard to explain, though you’ll get it once you see. The music and costumes and sets are just… so beautiful… and the story, it’s just…,” Lottie gushed. “And then the main character Christine, she’s got a pet name - Lotte. Suppose I sort of… felt a connection with her… though really, it’s silly of me… Can’t sing to save my life… and I’m certainly not an orphan.” 

A furious blush had come over her face as though she hadn’t meant to blather on. Though Oliver didn’t see it as blathering. He hung on every word.

“I don’t think it’s silly that you might connect with her,” he said, leaning closer to her. “And if it makes you feel better, can’t carry a tune myself.”

“Well, I feel like you’ll enjoy the show. Honestly, I sometimes wonder if there is someone doing a bit of magic behind the scenes. It’s incredible the sets and all. How they change and such,” she said, looking back out towards the stage.

Before he could respond, the lights went down, and the music started up. From the moment the first chord hit, Oliver found himself a bit overwhelmed, though in a good way. As the show began, he could clearly see just why Lottie had become so taken with it. Even though it was completely muggle and not a stitch of magic, Oliver couldn’t help but feel like he had taken a time-turner back to 19th century Paris. 

Throughout the show, he couldn’t help but glance over at Lottie, taking in the sheer look of delight on her face and found himself feeling even more enthralled with her. During a particularly tense moment on stage, she suddenly reached over and gripped his hand. A warmth spread throughout his body at the touch. It continued when the moment passed but she didn’t move her hand from his, instead intertwined her fingers with his.

Perhaps this was something more, he thought.

It seemed as though the musical passed by in the blink of an eye and the next thing he knew, they were stepping out of the theater, with Lottie talking brightly about her favorite parts. Oliver was content to just listen and watch her. 

“What about you? What did you like the most?” Lottie asked, coming to a stop and turning to look at him, her eyes bright.

“I… everything,” he said, at a bit of a loss. She continued to look up at him. “I mean… you were right… seriously wondered a few times there if there wasn’t some witch or wizard backstage making some of the things happen…” He trailed off, feeling a bit like a failure for his inability to really express what he thought of the show.

That it was amazing like she said it would be. But his favorite part had been watching her react to it. 

“Truth be told, that’s the first time I’ve seen a muggle musical. Bit overwhelming, but in a good way,” he said. Lottie grinned as she looped her arm through his and started walking down the street again. 

“Suppose I shouldn’t be surprised, but why didn’t you say anything?” she asked. “I could have explained things if you got lost.”

“Wanted to make you think I knew what was going on,” he admitted. Lottie chuckled and leaned her head on his shoulder. 

“You don’t have to pretend with me, Oliver,” she said, glancing up at him. “I like you just the way you are.” He thought his heart had stopped for a bit with the look that she was giving him. He could only swallow. “You should come with me to see more musicals. I’ve a fairly decent knowledge of the world and I’m always looking for someone to join me.”

“I would like that,” he said, looking back down at her. He wasn’t sure if it was the way that she was looking at him or the night or what. But what he said next came spilling out his lips before he could think.

“You look beautiful tonight,” he said. Lottie stopped again, looking up at him with an eyebrow quirked.

“Thanks,” she said, blushing furiously as she looked away. Oliver stopped, turning to face her.

“Truly,” he said softly. “And watching you tonight during the musical… it was like… magic…” 

As soon as he said it, Oliver immediately regretted it. Merlin, he sounded like an idiot. There was no way that she would agree to another date with him now. This is why his relationships never lasted long before. Because he was a complete nutter.

Lottie stared up at him for so long, he was worried that she was about to laugh in his face and then make some quick excuse to leave. Perhaps she’d let him down gently. But instead she slowly went up on her toes. Oliver’s eyes widened as his breath hitched as his eyes closed, knowing exactly what was about to happen. 

When her lips met his, it was like time stopped. Hers were soft and he was afraid to move for a moment. But then when she didn’t move away, he stepped closer, bringing his hands to her waist and pulling her closer. He began to move his lips against hers. When she reciprocated, he felt as though he just made the game-winning save on the pitch. 

But then all too soon, she had stepped back. He blinked his eyes open and looked down, seeing her blue eyes staring up at him and the soft smile on her face.

“What do you say to getting one more drink before we call it a night?” she asked softly. 

“Sure…”

~~~

“Seriously… where are we going?” Lottie asked, laughing as she trotted to keep up with Marcus in her heels. He just grinned and winked at her.

“Trust me, you’re going to enjoy this,” he said. Lottie just chuckled as they continued down the sidewalk, heading towards one of the biggest clubs in the city. 

“A club? Seriously?” she asked, her eyes widening as they got closer. “Flint…”

“Again, trust me,” he said smoothly. Lottie just smiled and laughed, though there was a nervous tinge to it. Blimey, had he made a mistake with the party? He certainly hoped not because it was too late to back out now.

Rather than getting into line, Marcus walked them straight to the front and pulled out two passes from his coat jacket. Lottie raised her eyebrows as the man looked them over and then glanced back up at them.

“Right this way, Mr. Flint,” he said. Flint held his arm out.

“Are you ready, Ms. Bell?” he asked. She grinned and accepted his arm.

“Of course, Mr. Flint…”

As they walked through the club, Marcus couldn’t help but enjoy the look of awe on Lottie’s face as she took in everything. They made their way through a large room before they walked to double doors towards the back of the club. The man pushed them open and then stepped aside.

Marcus led Lottie in and as soon as they stopped, her eyes looked as though they might possibly pop out of her head.

“Is this…”

“Cast Party for Phantom of the Opera,” Marcus replied. “Was hoping to get tickets but they were all sold out. So, I hope that this will do.” 

“Holy shit,” was all Lottie could say in reply. She couldn’t move, she was so obviously starstruck. Marcus chuckled as he glanced around. He didn’t know any of the muggle actors, but apparently Lottie did and that was all that mattered. He leaned down to her ear. 

“Let’s get a drink,” he said softly. A shudder went through Lottie, but she looked up at him and grinned, nodding. He led her over to the bar and picked up two glasses of champagne, then handed one to her. 

“How did you get in?” she asked, turning to look at him. “I mean… this is… wow.” She looked around the room again. “That’s Margaret Walters. She’s Christine Daae! The Christine Daae! And, Merlin! That’s… that’s… Michael Flemming… he’s Raoul… Merlin, he’s more handsome up close…”

“Should I be worried?” Marcus asked, smiling at her. Lottie looked back up at him, her cheeks flushed and eyes wide. 

“No!” she nearly shouted. She then chuckled. “Sorry, just… never thought I’d ever be this close to them.” She looked over at the two. “I’ve been watching them on stage for years…”

Marcus then placed his hand on the small of her back, starting to lead her off.

“Then let’s go meet them,” he said, leaning towards her. Lottie looked up at him, her face paling slightly.

“I couldn’t… I’d be a wreck,” she said quickly. But Marcus didn’t stop.

“I have a feeling that you’ll be just fine…”

~~~

An hour later, Marcus couldn’t help but smile down at Lottie as she stepped closer to him, not shying away from his arm around her waist. Her eyes were lit up as she chatted animatedly with the two actors. It had taken a bit of time to get her to muster up the courage to actually approach them - along with a couple shots - but now she appeared to be enjoying the conversation.

The three were currently talking about their favorite spots in New York, apparently having the same taste.

“Have you tried Giovannis? I swear, best pizza in the city,” Margaret said. Lottie’s eyes widened. 

“My work mates and I would go there all the time,” Lottie exclaimed. 

“Just what is it that you said you did?” Michael asked. He grinned at her, but then glanced at Marcus. The quidditch player chuckled softly, sensing that the man was testing him in some way. But he didn’t have anything to worry about from the way Lottie had been leaning into him all night.

“Oh, boring government job. Spent most my day behind a desk,” Lottie lied easily. She glanced at Marcus, still grinning. “Just recently moved back home.”

“And what do you do?” Margaret asked, turning her green eyes to Marcus. 

“Footballer,” he replied smoothly, having come prepared with a story for this very thing. “Minor league here.” 

“And how long have you two been together?” Margaret then asked. Lottie’s eyes went wide as her cheeks turned pink. She glanced at him and then back at the two actors. 

“Oh, well…”

“We’re old schoolmates. Just recently got back in touch,” Marcus interjected. Lottie shot him a grateful smile. 

“Oh, well that’s wonderful,” Margaret said a bit too brightly. 

They continued chatting a bit longer before Lottie excused them to get another drink from the bar, but not before Margaret had gotten her contact information and promised they would meet up again while they were in town for the run.

He wasn’t sure what it was - perhaps the question about them - but Lottie seemed to be a bit antsier in the last few moments. She continued looking around them a bit more, her eyes constantly scanning the crowd. She hadn’t stopped playing with the strap on her purse for the last 15 minutes.

Lottie sighed as she leaned against the bar and ordered a rather strong cocktail. There was a relatively large open space around them as most people were either on the dance floor or attempting to chat up the actors.

“Is that because you’re happy or…” 

Lottie looked up at him with wide eyes again and then smiled sheepishly. 

“Sorry,” she said, taking a drink. “I’m much better at crowds than I used to be, but still… sometimes gets to me.” She then took another drink. Marcus stepped closer to her, part so he could hear her over the music, part because he was curious about what she meant. Lottie looked back at the bar, playing with her glass nervously. “Always been like this… since school.”

“Shy?” Marcus asked. A fleeting smile came over her face, but she continued to look down at the glass, now spinning it.

“Bit more than that… social anxiety, or something like that… though I don’t have it so bad. Some people can’t even be out in public for long. For me, I just... sometimes get a bit nervous when I’m around people I’m unfamiliar with or large places with large crowds… well… something like this… used to be worse...”

Marcus’ eyes widened as everything about her in Hogwarts suddenly clicked. Why she seemed so skittish and anxious all the time. Why she never went to any of the big parties. Why she would literally run in the opposite direction anytime she saw him or his friends.

“Merlin, I’m so sorry,” he breathed. Lottie looked up at him, her eyes wide. “For… Merlin… I wish I had known.” She smiled slightly and shook her head.

“I told you, it’s fine. Auror training helped loads,” she said, reaching out and touching his arm as though she were trying to comfort him, when he should be the one comforting her. 

“I shouldn’t have brought you here,” he replied. “Should have asked or something.”

“Seriously, Flint, it’s fine. I’m having fun. This,” she stopped and motioned around the party, “has been amazing. And it’s not like you had any idea – I don’t tend to bring it up with most people. Not to mention, _I_ thought I would be fine. And I am fine. Just… needed to step away a bit…” 

Marcus looked around the party again and then back down at Lottie. 

“How about we get out of here? Go to this quiet place that I know,” he said. Lottie smiled and finished her drink.

“Of course,” she said. She took his offered arm and they made their way through the club and outside. Once on the sidewalk, Lottie stopped and closed her eyes, breathing in deeply. “Much better.”

She then looked up at him and grinned. 

“Really, tonight has been amazing,” she said. Marcus stared down at her a moment and then acted without thinking. He bent down and lightly brushed his lips against hers. Lottie’s eyes widened, but then she stepped closer and pressed her lips against his, her kiss being more firm. Marcus wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer as he moved his lips against hers.

He had often thought about what it would be like to kiss Lottie. This moment was so much better than his fantasies, he decided as a jolt of something ran up and down his spine.

But then just as suddenly, she pushed him back, breathing slightly heavily, her cheeks flushed. Oh Merlin, he had done something wrong. Had he lost track of time and kissed her for too long?

“I’m… sorry,” he breathed. Lottie smiled and shook her head. 

“No, it’s… you did nothing wrong,” she said softly, though there was something in her eyes. “Let’s get going. Getting a bit chilly…”

He nodded and started walking, happy to find that she let him keep his arm around her and snuggled up to his side. 

Perhaps he hadn’t done anything wrong…

~~~

“Alright, spill,” Penny said, drawing her legs up on the sofa. Lottie frowned as she took a drink from her wine. “Take it things did not go well…” Lottie groaned.

“That’s the thing… everything went extremely well. Too well,” she said, looking up at her best friend. “Oliver took to see Phantom and it was… wonderful. He’s never been to a muggle musical before and his reaction was just… adorable. And then he was so sweet afterwards. We talked for hours and he just… he gets me… and I then kissed him-”

Penny’s squeal caused her to jump slightly and then frown at her for interrupting her.

“Sorry… just… how was that? You FINALLY kissed Oliver Wood!” Penny shouted. A smile tugged at Lottie’s lips.

“It was… sweet and… as wonderful as I thought it would be,” she said. “No. It was better.”

“Okay, so far, not seeing the issue… how was the date with Flint, then?” Penny asked. 

“He took me to the Phantom cast party. I got to meet the actors,” Lottie said, getting a bit excited. Penny’s eyes widened.

“No shit. How did he manage that?” she asked. Lottie shrugged as she took a drink of wine. “More than that… how did you do? I know you don’t do clubs very well still…”

“I was okay, though things got a bit rough in the end. We ended up leaving after a couple hours,” Lottie said as she looked down at her wine glass. “I told him… about that…” 

“Ah… bet that was… unexpected,” Penny said. Lottie looked up at her.

“He didn’t find it strange. In fact, he apologized… for bringing me to the party and again for how he treated me back then,” Lottie said. “And then… _we_ kissed…”

Lottie looked back down at her glass, her emotions swirling. Both dates had been amazing. And both men had proven that they were thoughtful. Listened to her. Kind. Everything that she had always wanted in a relationship. The problem was, she had hoped that after these dates, perhaps she would start feeling more strongly about one over the other.

But she didn’t.

“It’s just… with Oliver… I feel so comfortable. And warm. Like I’m home,” Lottie said. “But with Marcus… he’s exciting and, and… but then there’s a softer side to him. A side that I feel like he doesn’t show many people and the fact that he’s showing me…” Lottie sighed and shook her head. “I don’t know what I’m supposed to do… I told both of them that I don’t want anything serious right now… but… Merlin, Penny… what if I’m falling for both of them?”

Penny sighed as she sat up and patted Lottie’s leg. 

“I know it’s confusing-”

“Ha! That’s the least of it!” Lottie shouted. 

“You could always figure out a tie-breaker,” Penny said. Lottie studied her. “Perhaps a shag tie-breaker.”

“Merlin, no!” Lottie shouted, her cheeks going bright red. Penny just laughed loudly at her. “I mean… I’m no prude, but… don’t you think that’s taking it too far?”

“Look, just… You don’t have to decide right this second. It’s not like you have a deadline or anything. It’ll come to you when the time is right. Whatever it is,” Penny said, this time a bit more gently. Lottie just gave her a look. “No, I can’t tell you how… you’ll just know. And if you choose neither, at least you have me.” 

Lottie smiled at her. 

“This is true… it’s only been two dates,” she admitted.

“Yes, and don’t you want to find out where they take you next?” Penny asked, waggling her eyebrows. Lottie just rolled her eyes and chuckled. Penny lifted her glass. “To figuring it out.”

“To figuring it out…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... as I was getting into later chapters, I realized that I didn't like the direction I was going in. Things were getting a bit too serious and I really want to keep this light and fluffy. So ended up moving one chapter forward by a few, pushing another back and then getting rid of about... four or five chapters, two of which I already had written. 
> 
> But I'm much happier with the new direction. And still about five chapters ahead in writing, so can still post one a day, I believe. Oh, and it's now 19 chapters long...


	9. So, This Is What Truth Feels Like

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was bound to happen. Someone was going to let something slip and truth would come out.

**So, This is What Truth Feels Like**

Oliver sighed as he put his broom in his locker and then started pulling his jersey off. All around him, the rest of the team was laughing and goofing off. But his thoughts were on that weekend with Lottie. A small smile tugged on his lips, but then disappeared slightly.

The date had been amazing. And then that kiss outside the theater, followed by talking until the wee hours of the morning. But it was the last thing that Lottie had said to him after he had kissed her again when he dropped her off that was currently rolling around in his mind.

_“Oliver… this has been amazing and I like you… I really do. And I like where this is going, but… I just… I really need to take this slow. I’m not… I’ve never… been that great at relationships… so if we could slow down a bit… I still want to see you but… Merlin, I’m totally mucking this up…”_

His heart had dropped for a moment when she was talking, though he had assured her that she hadn’t mucked anything up. If anyone understood the terror of a new relationship, it was him. And knowing Lottie in school, he could most definitely understand why she would be hesitant to get into anything serious so quickly.

He had to remind himself that this was just their second date, after all. There was no need to rush into something, was there? And actually, it was a good thing she had spoken up. Oliver knew that he definitely didn’t want to rush into anything. While what he was feeling for Lottie certainly grew every time he met her, this wasn’t Hogwarts where one day you barely knew each other and then the next you were in a relationship and snogging non-stop in broom closets.

No. Adult relationships took time. Building up trust took time. And he felt that Lottie would need more time to really, truly trust him enough to be in a committed relationship.

At that thought, Oliver couldn’t help but feel a bit lighter. They would still see each other. This wasn’t a stopper on anything. It was just a reminder not to move so quickly. And there was nothing wrong with that.

“So, Flint… How did things go with that bird of yours this weekend?”

Oliver looked over, seeing Pendleton grinning across the room at Flint. The chaser had a bit of a smile on his face. Oliver turned back to his locker, shaking his head. He wasn’t all that interested in hearing about Flint’s latest flavor of the month. Despite his claims otherwise, the man did certainly have a type. 

“It went well,” Flint said.

“Come on, you’ve got to give us more than that,” Davies replied. “What’s she like?”

“She’s… different than my usual sort,” Flint said, still being a bit evasive with the information. Oliver could see out of the corner of his eye that Davies and Pendleton weren’t having it. Flint usually dished and they clearly couldn’t understand why he wasn’t on this one. In fact, even he was starting to get a bit curious. Just who would Flint be seeing that would have him mum on the details?

“Different? How so? This one actually have a brain?” Pendleton asked. Maddie punched him in the arm.

“Be nice. Can’t you see he really likes her, whoever she is?” she shouted. Pendleton rubbed his arm but sent a perplexed look toward Flint.

“You getting serious about this one?” he then asked. “Thought it had only been a few dates.” Flint shrugged.

“Perhaps… never dated anyone like her. She’s… clever. Strong. But yet… something about her,” Flint replied. Oliver stopped and looked over at him, a bit surprised as well. Didn’t seem like him at all. He wasn’t bragging about this one. 

Perhaps Flint was finally taking dating more seriously. Who would have thought?

Oliver turned back to his locker, starting to pull off his keeper pads. While he was mildly interested in Flint’s new girl, he had his own to think about. And he hoped that maybe he’d run into her on the way home so he could casually suggest getting some dinner together. They were neighbors but thanks to their work schedules, he had yet to actually run into her.

“Say, Wood… who was that bird I saw _you_ with over the weekend?” Davies shouted, bringing him out of his reverie. Oliver started and looked over at the chaser, who was grinning at him.

“Oh, ehm… nothing. Just an old schoolmate,” he said quickly before returning his focus to getting undressed. Fucking hell, the last thing he wanted was Davies broadcasting his love life to the rest of the team. Especially when it was as new as it was. He needed to keep calm. Play it off as just two old mates meeting up. Nothing more.

“Not from what I saw. You two looked rather cozy,” Davies pushed. Shite. He wasn’t giving up, was he?

“It’s none of your business,” Oliver shot back. Bugger, he was too defensive. Now the tosser would definitely know that something was going on.

“Ah, you know how Wood is,” Pendleton said, grinning. “Doesn’t like to kiss and tell. Which is normally what Flint does. Seriously, mate. You aren’t going to tell us anything?”

“Leave ‘em alone,” Griffiths warned, though she was smiling.

Oliver looked over at Flint, who was watching him with a curious look on his face. That was odd. Surely it wasn’t that big of an occurrence.

“Anyone we know?” Maddie called out to Oliver. He looked over at her and shook his head.

“No, thank Merlin,” Oliver said, returning to his task.

Davies had gone quiet, a contemplative look on his face. Fuck, Oliver thought. This couldn’t be good. He forgot that Davies and Lottie had been in the same house. But maybe he wouldn’t recognize her. Nearly everyone else hadn’t recognized her at first.

“Wait a minute,” Davies said, his eyes going wide as a grin filled his face. “No shite! Was it Lottie Bell?!” 

Oliver whipped his head over to stare at the chaser. Of course, he would remember her. It was just his luck. Davies _had_ only been a year behind them at Hogwarts. Probably saw Lottie more than Oliver did, hence able to pick her out though she had changed so much. Oliver could feel the rest of the team watching him closely.

“Who’s Lottie Bell?” Maddie asked.

“Ravenclaw like me, but in Wood and Flint’s year. Merlin, she does _not_ look the same. Though I’m not surprised you two would take up as soon as she got back to England. Everyone knew about the massive crush she had on you, mate,” Davies rattled on.

Oliver hadn’t known about the crush. Not until that moment, that was.

The others started peppering Davies with questions about Lottie as Oliver just stared in shock. 

“How long have you two been dating?” Maddie asked, looking at him.

“I… we… just catching up,” Oliver said, regretting the fact that he currently sounded like an idiot. He shook his head and took a deep breath. He was a grown man, for crying out loud. 

“You really fancy her. I can tell,” Maddie said, her green eyes lighting up with mischief. 

“So, it’s true then? _You’re_ dating Lottie?” 

Oliver turned around abruptly at the menacing sound of Flint’s voice. He had an icy glare on his face as the rest of his body went stiff. This was rather odd. What was it to him? He didn’t know her. And why was he calling her Lottie? The locker room fell silent, anxiously watching the two.

“Yea, I suppose. What of it?” Oliver asked, immediately going on the defensive. 

“Suppose?” Flint asked with a harsh laugh. “Might want to double-check that, mate, because last I heard, _I_ was dating her.”

You could have heard a pin drop, the locker room was so quiet. The others had frozen and were likely holding their collective breaths, waiting to see what the two would do. Or rather, who would toss the first punch.

Oliver returned Flint’s cold glare, clenching his fists.

“Beg your pardon?” he asked, taking a step towards him. His heart was racing as something inside screamed that it couldn’t be true. Surely Flint was delusional. That had to be it. Though there was a niggle of something at the back of Oliver’s mind. Something Lottie had said to him over the weekend. “I believe that I’m the one she’s dating, and you must be a bit confused, _mate_.”

~~~

Marcus had completely forgotten that the rest of the team was even in the locker room. As far as he was concerned, it was just him and Wood. Bloody, annoying, golden boy Gryffindor Oliver Wood. 

In just those few seconds, the old feud between them had come roaring back to life and Marcus would be damned if he was going to lose to Wood again. 

“I’m not the one confused. She was with me Saturday night,” Marcus said slowly as a smug grin spread across his face. “Rather, she was in my arms.” He let the insinuation sink in and felt a bit of satisfaction when Wood’s frown deepened.

“That so? Well, you should probably know that she was in _my_ arms the night before that,” Wood retorted. “And we’ve got plans to meet up tomorrow night.” 

Marcus couldn’t help but scowl. Part of him thought perhaps Wood was bluffing, but there was no way to know for sure. The man had the best poker face in the League. It’s what made him such a good keeper.

“She make plans with you yet?” Wood continued. 

Rather than shout back another retort, Marcus growled and found himself launching across the room. Within seconds, the two were rolling around on the floor scuffling as each tried to land punches. 

“Bloody wanker! Stay away from her!”

“Like hell! She wants to be with me!”

“Then why was she out with me?!”

“Probably played her, you tosser!”

“ENOUGH!”

Both froze, looking up and seeing a furious Griffiths standing over them, her face in a cold glare and her hands planted on her hips. 

“Get up! Both of you!” she shouted. 

The two men quickly got up, their clothing wrinkled. Or at least the bits of them they still had on. They both looked down at the ground, though shot angry glares at each other. Wood’s lip was split and he had a bruise starting up on his cheek. Marcus was already sporting the starts of a black eye.

“Are you children?! What the hell!” Griffiths shouted. There was snickering in the background. “Do not start with me, Davies and Pendleton!” More silence. “Everyone else out.”

“But-”

“OUT!”

The rest of the team shuffled out of the locker room, leaving the captain alone with the chaser and keeper.

“You know the drill,” Griffiths said. “I’ll be outside. Once you work it out - with your words - I’ll let you out. I so much as hear you fighting, I will call in Coach and you both will be benched.” She then spun on her heels and strode out of the locker room. 

“You want to try it or me?” Wood asked. 

“Why? We both know Griffiths perfected her locking charms,” Marcus said. Wood sighed and walked over, sitting down on a bench as he rubbed his face. He then looked over, meeting Marcus’ eyes.

“So… we’re dating the same girl,” he stated, already seeming to have lost his fight. Marcus nodded and walked over, leaning against the lockers. “Did you know anything about this?”

Marcus thought over the end of the date Saturday night. After they made it to a pub, Lottie had lightened up. But as he walked her home, she had gotten twitchy again. 

_“Marcus… I have to be honest with you… I just… I need to take this slow… and… I think we should… keep our options open…”_

At the time he had thought she was still worried that he would lose interest after finding out about her anxiety issues. But now perhaps it was because of Wood. 

“She mentioned something about… keeping our options open,” Marcus said. Wood nodded.

“Said something about taking it slow to me,” he said. “She’s… been playing us both…” He had a look that was a mix of hurt and confusion on his face. 

“I don’t think she was playing us,” Marcus said. Wood looked up, meeting his eyes. “It’s only been two dates for us. Hadn’t mentioned anything about being exclusive.”

“Same,” Wood said. “So… what do we do?”

“Flip a coin?” Marcus replied. Wood scowled at him. Fucking hell, he really was a bloody chivalrous Gryffindor sometimes. “It was a joke, Wood.” 

“Oh.”

“Well… I know that I don’t want to stop seeing her. Reckon you might not either,” Marcus said. Wood was silent a few moments and then nodded.

“I don’t,” he replied. “But… suppose it’s not really up to us. It’s up to her.” Marcus thought it over. This was true. In the end, it was Lottie’s choice if she wanted to keep seeing either of them. 

“Alright them. We both keep seeing her,” he said slowly, a plan already forming in his head. He did care for Lottie, felt like there was something there with her. Or at least that there could be something more. But he was in Slytherin for a reason. 

“Do we tell her?” Wood asked. “That we know.” Of course, he would want to tell her. Fucking Gryffindor.

“No,” Marcus said. Wood looked slightly horrified. “We just continue on as we have… and may the best man win.” He smiled smugly at him, wondering if he would take the challenge. Wood stared at him a moment before a hard look came over his face. He then stood and stuck his hand out. There was the Oliver Wood that Marcus knew on the pitch.

“Alright. Let the best man win… And it’ll be me.”

“We’ll see about that…”

~~~

“What’s this all about?” Alicia asked as Oliver rushed into her and Katie’s flat that night. He ran his fingers through his hair and started pacing around the living room. “Merlin, Wood… something happen?”

“It’s Lottie… she’s seeing both me and Flint,” he said, still pacing. Alicia’s eyes widened as she looked over at Katie, who had just walked out from the kitchen and froze, two beers in hand. The women shared a look. “What’s that about?” 

They both looked over at him, noticing that he had stopped pacing and was staring at them. It then clicked.

“You knew,” he stated.

“We were going to tell you,” Katie said, starting towards him.

“That’s why you helped me?” he then said.

“Like we want Lottie with Flint,” Alicia said with a snort. Oliver looked over at her and then back at Katie. He sighed and dropped into an armchair. 

“So… what do I do?” he asked, looking at the both of them. “I talked a big game with Flint earlier, but I don’t have a bloody idea what to do next… Fuck, I lied and told her that we had plans tomorrow…”

“You keep seeing her. If you want to, that is,” Katie said gently.

“And we’re going to keep helping you,” Alicia stated. Oliver just stared at them. “Seriously, Wood. You think Flint’s going to fight fair? That’s not his game. You’re going to need to amp up _your_ game.”

“I want to win her over fair and square,” he said immediately, frowning. 

“Of course,” Alicia replied. “You fight fair. Doesn’t mean we have to.”

“What are you planning?” Oliver asked, suddenly a bit cautious. 

“Best if you don’t know,” Alicia said, moving to sit on the sofa. “But as for what _you_ do, let’s do some brainstorming…”

~~~

Marcus fell down into his chair at the pub and immediately order a double firewhiskey.

“You found out, didn’t you?” Pucey said immediately, grinning. Marcus scowled at him and then reached for the glass as soon as it appeared in front of him, downing a good portion. Christ, sometimes the prat got on his nerves. And it would figure that he knew before Marcus did.

Adrian Pucey had his fingers in so many damn pies around the wizarding world that it was a miracle they weren’t permanently stained.

“Christ, I told you that we should have told him,” Higgs said with a sigh. “But at least now he knows.” 

“Did all of you know?” Marcus asked, looking around the group. That he hadn’t been expecting. Usually Higgs and Warrington would tell him everything.

“Pucey said that we shouldn’t tell,” Warrington said, not wanting to be at the front end of Flint’s wrath.

“Why else do you think I got those tickets for you?” Pucey said, not worried in the slightest. “How did that go?”

Marcus didn’t reply at first, just studied the three men. He then sighed and looked back down at the glass.

“Not important now… Wood and I both know,” he said. “Figured it out today after practice.”

“And… what are you going to do?” Higgs asked. Marcus looked up at him. Well, that at least he knew. He started smiling. 

“You think I’m going to give up that easy?” Marcus asked.

“She was dating both of you,” Higgs said, frowning.

“She went on two dates. With both of us. The way I see it, at least know we both know what we’re up against,” Marcus replied smoothly. He sat back in his chair. “Though what Wood doesn’t have is three Slytherins helping him.” 

Pucey grinned and looked at Higgs and Warrington.

“You sure about this?” Higgs asked. 

“Get off it. Another chance to take Wood down and you’re going to pass on it?” Marcus asked. 

“This about Wood or Bell?” Warrington asked. “’Cause I’m fairly sure it should be about Bell.” Marcus looked over at him.

“’Course it’s about Lottie. But if I can take down Wood in the process, then all the better,” he said. Higgs and Warrington glanced at each other. They then both smiled and looked back at him. Marcus knew that ultimately, they would agree to help. If there was anything the group of Slytherins hated more, it was losing to a Gryffindor. 

“We’re in,” Higgs said. 

“Excellent,” Marcus replied, sitting up. “Now… need to come up with a plan. I’ve been thinking-”

“Flowers and gifts. Expensive gifts. And more fancy parties,” Pucey said immediately. “The ladies love that sort of shite. Shower her in them.” Marcus glanced over at him. While Pucey did have an uncanny way of finding things out about people, he could be dense at times. And this was one of those times.

“Not Lottie,” he replied. “No, I think we’re going to have to take things differently. No more fancy parties or crowded clubs. And I doubt she cares about flowers and jewelry. She doesn’t seem the sort.” Pucey frowned, seemingly at a loss.

“Then what do we do?” he asked, stunned. Marcus leaned on the table. 

“As I was saying, I think I’ve got an idea…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everyone knew at some point Oliver and Marcus were going to find out about each other...


	10. Kings of Sabotage - Part One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marcus takes Lottie out for what he hopes is a nice, normal date. Someone else, however, has other plans.

**Kings of Sabotage – Part One**

Marcus looked across the table, happy to see that Lottie was much more relaxed than she had been at the end of their last date. Rather than take her to another crowded place or somewhere like Follies, he opted for a quaint little bistro that he had happened across a couple years ago that had a good wine list. 

If he wanted to make a better impression on Lottie than Wood, he figured he should start looking for places that would be more her style and fit her comfort zone. He couldn’t help but feel a bit smug when Lottie said that she had been wanting to try the place for a while.

He had chosen well. 

And if they wanted to move somewhere else afterward, he already planned to introduce her to his favorite firewhiskey bar down the street. It was small, but never crowded and quiet. Intimate. Cozy. And he had a strong feeling that Lottie would appreciate that. 

“How’s the case going?” he asked before taking a bite of his salmon. So far, she had been steering the conversation towards Puddlemere and training, which gave him a feeling that she was trying to avoid talking about work. Which he felt meant that something had happened. Probably involving her brother. While she looked happy, he could sense a bit of irritation in her blue eyes but knew from her actions that it wasn’t directed at him.

Lottie sighed and gave him a small smile.

“Which one?” she asked, almost as if she knew what he was doing.

“The dark wizard you’ve been tracking,” he said.

“Ah, yes,” she said, sitting up in her chair and stabbing at her steak as a frown came over her face. “Bugger is still in the wind. And Potter and I are left running in circles.”

“You’ve only been on it for a week or. Shouldn’t beat yourself for not finding him yet,” Marcus said calmly. Lottie looked up at him, her expression unreadable. She then sighed again and an apologetic smile came over her face.

“I know, just… guess I’m eager to prove that I am good at what I do,” she replied. “And capable of taking on bigger cases. Merlin, sometimes I feel like I’m a rookie auror again with the stuff they give me…”

“Are you trying to prove something to the Ministry or to Bernard?” Marcus asked, long ago picking up that a lot of Lottie’s gripes about work were centered on her older brother.

“Both? Maybe Bernie a bit more,” she admitted. She then groaned slightly as she sat back in her chair, dropping her fork on the table. “He just… infuriates me sometimes… Today, he had the gall to tell me that the only reason I got the damn case was because he put in a good word for me with the head of the department.” She scowled. “I don’t _need_ his help. And the git was expecting a bloody thank you. Nearly gave him a black eye instead.”

Marcus couldn’t help but chuckle at the thought of small Lottie punching her older, much bigger brother. Though he had no doubt that she probably could do a fair bit of damage.

“Just imagine how good it’ll feel when you bring him in,” Marcus said with a smile. “You, Lottie Bell, bringing a dark wizard that has evaded capture for two years. On a case that even your older brother couldn’t solve. Didn’t you say it was his before?” 

She studied him a moment before a smirk appeared on her face and she sat back up. 

“It will feel rather good,” she said. She then reached for her half-empty wine glass. Marcus reached for his own, noticing that it was empty. He turned to flag down a server when one popped up on his other side, startling him a moment. 

“More wine?” the server asked, holding out a bottle. 

“Yes, please,” he said. The server filled up the glass and then walked off just as Lottie was starting to ask to have hers topped off. 

“Well, that’s odd service for you,” she commented. Marcus just shrugged as he glanced around, already making eye contact with another and nodding him over. “Still.” He turned back to look at her. She was smiling and held her glass out. They clinked and then Marcus took a drink, noting that it tasted a bit different than what he had been drinking. 

He looked at the glass and then put it down, figuring the server had accidentally given him the wrong one. The new server poured more wine into Lottie’s, causing her to smile in gratitude before she turned back to look at Marcus. 

A look of horror flashed across her face before she quickly rearranged it into something calmer. What was that about? Marcus quickly looked behind him, wondering if she had seen something. 

“What’s wrong?” he asked, turning back to her. 

“I… Marcus… something’s wrong with your face,” she said, dropping her voice. Marcus frowned. He didn’t feel any different. He reached up and felt around his cheeks, his eyes widening as he felt bumps starting to rise up. 

“What the fuck?” he nearly shouted. 

It was then that the stinging broke out from his face, but quickly spread throughout his body. He looked down at his hands, seeing boils starting to break out across his skin. A surge of anger, confusion and a bit of fear swarmed through him as he looked up at Lottie.

They were starting to garner a few looks from nearby tables.

“Are you allergic to anything?” she asked quickly as she grabbed her purse and started digging around through it. 

“No… I don’t think so...,” Marcus said, trying to keep calm, but his voice came out a bit squeaky. More and more people were starting to look over at them, but at the moment, that was the least of his worries. He just wanted the stinging, which was growing to a near unbearable degree, to stop.

“Alright, stay calm. I’ve got this,” Lottie said, jumping up and running over to him with a bottle in her hand. Just as she reached his side, he couldn’t help but let out the largest fart that he had ever heard in his life. The both of them froze, embarrassment running through his veins as all sound in the restaurant stopped and every eye turned to look at them.

Marcus couldn’t bring himself to look at Lottie. 

“Here. This should fix it if someone slipped something in your food or drink,” she said softly, holding out a small bottle in front of his face. Without a word, he took it and quickly drank the contents. 

_“Dear Merlin, let this work,”_ he prayed softly. 

Another, larger, fart sounded and the boils doubled. As did the stinging.

“It’s alright, ehm… right…”

Lottie threw some money down on the table and quickly helped him up from the chair. 

“Looks like we’re going to St. Mungos,” she said, wrapping her arm around him. Marcus still couldn’t bring himself to speak as they quickly walked through the restaurant. It remained quiet, though he could hear someone chuckling softly. Marcus looked over just before they walked out, seeing bright red hair behind a menu. 

He glared and almost started towards the table. Fucking Weasley. But he farted again, which reminded him that there were more important things to get to.

Like trying to save this date.

~~~

Lottie fought hard to keep from laughing as Marcus scowled from the bed in St. Mungo’s where he was lying. He looked miserable and continued to fart, though thankfully it didn’t smell. She felt bad for him, truly she did, but it was all too comical to see the normally formidable chaser in this state. 

She looked away, attempting to smooth out her face before the healer arrived. She could hear him grumbling to himself, but it was so soft that she couldn’t make it out.

“Well, let’s see what we have here…”

Lottie froze a moment and then grimaced. Of all the bloody healers to get. Slowly, she turned around and pasted a smile on her face as she met her brother Adam’s amused smirk.

“Wasn’t expecting to see you again so soon, Char,” he said. She kept the forced smile on her face, not wanting to think about the family lunch on Sunday. Bernard had, of course, informed her brothers of her predicament. And they had all weighed in, save Charlie. He had, thankfully, stood up for her.

Adam and Bernard were firmly on Team Wood. Which meant that Lottie was not looking forward to this interaction.

Adam walked over to the bed.

“So, what do we have?” he asked lightly as he looked down at Marcus, inspecting his boils, though Lottie could sense the underlying tone of disapproval in his voice. 

“We believe that someone slipped something into his food or drink. I gave him Charlie’s antidote and it didn’t work,” she said sternly. “Made it worse.” Adam glanced over at her and then back to the scowling quidditch player. 

“Sure, it’s not just allergies?” he asked lightly. Marcus turned his scowl to the healer.

“I don’t have allergies,” he said, his voice low. Adam sighed and nodded. 

“Well then… since we have no way to know what it was that you were given, we’re going to have to try a few different things. Might be here awhile,” he said before turning and starting towards the door. 

“Adam, you will help him,” Lottie said sharply. He stopped and looked back at her.

“Course. It’s my job. I’ll be back,” he said, before turning and leaving. Lottie sighed and ran her fingers through her hair.

“Take it that’s-” there was another fart, “one of your brothers.” 

She looked over at Marcus, who looked rather pathetic on the bed. She could tell he was trying to hold everything in, but the strained look on his face combined with the boils and rash, not to mention the grimaces from the stinging, all combined into a hot mess. 

Lottie couldn’t help herself as a giggle snuck out. She quickly covered her mouth as Marcus looked down.

“Oh, Marcus…” 

She walked over to the bedside and sat down, reaching for his hand. 

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be laughing, I know,” she said. “It’s going to be okay. Adam may be a git, but he’s a damn good healer.” Marcus looked over at her.

“This is-” Fart, “not how I expected the night to go. I was hoping for a quiet-” Fart, “simple night out.” Lottie smiled and squeezed his hand.

“You, sir, have nothing to apologize for. Though for the life of me, I can’t seem to understand who would slip you something or why,” she said. Marcus’ face turned dark a moment.

“Oh, I’ve a good idea,” he nearly growled. 

“Mind filling me in?” Lottie asked. He turned to look at her and smiled, though with the boils it looked more like a grimace. She couldn’t help but flinch at the sight.

“It’s fine. I can handle it,” he replied.

“Alright, let’s try this first round of antidotes,” Adam said brightly as he walked in with a tray of bottles and various other equipment. For a moment Lottie looked down at it in horror.

“Just what are you intending to do with that pointy thing?” she nearly shrieked as Adam walked around and placed the tray on a table next to the bed. 

“Just in case the potions don’t work and we have to manually drain the boils,” he said, smiling at her. Lottie just glared in return.

“Don’t worry, dear little sister, by the time I’m done, your boyfriend will be good as new,” Adam chirped. All the color left Lottie’s face as she glanced at Marcus and saw his equally shocked look. It was all she could do to stop from groaning.

Damn her older brothers. Both of them. She was sure that Adam wouldn’t wait to inform Bernard of tonight’s happenings.

“Just hurry up.”

~~~

The first potion had made the stinging go away, so Marcus would take that as a win. But then there were still the boils and the flatulence that he was dealing with. Which were far more embarrassing. Even more so as he continued to fart in front of Lottie’s oldest brother. 

The man at least attempted to somewhat keep a professional air with him. But he could sense a bit of antagonism. He also swore that he was slightly enjoying Marcus’ current state.

“So… I assume you two were out on a date?” Adam asked, directing the question to Lottie.

“Yes,” she said shortly, crossing her arms in front of her and continuing to glare at him. Merlin, she hadn’t been talking lightly when she said that she couldn’t stand her two oldest brothers. 

The two looked similar, though Adam’s hair wasn’t wavy and appeared a lighter shade of brown. And he was also much taller than Lottie, though leaner than Bernard from what he could remember. Bernard had been much stockier and played beater on the Gryffindor team while Adam was a chaser.

Charlie had been much shorter than the two – closer to Lottie’s height – and those two most definitely favored each other far more than she favored Adam or Bernard. Suppose that had something to do with the fact they were twins.

“How was that going before them, ehm, incident?” Adam asked, portioning out a few different potions into a bottle. His lips twitched as though he was fighting off laughter. 

“Oh, shut it, Adam,” Lottie retorted. The healer stopped and looked over at her and then down at Marcus.

“She this testy with you?” he asked, smiling.

“No, not usually,” Marcus replied, unsure of whether he liked or disliked the man. Adam returned to his work.

“Ah, must be me, then,” he said brightly. He shot a grin over to Lottie. “Always did seem to be sore with me about something.”

“Probably because you’re a git,” Lottie replied. 

“Mary seems to differ in that opinion,” he said. Lottie snorted.

“Still haven’t told me how you got a perfectly wonderful woman to agree to marry you and then carry your children,” she said dryly. “Bribe her?”

“No, dear sister. Mary actually loves me for who I am,” Adam said, winking at Lottie. “Before I forget, she wants you round for dinner one night. The boys are eager to see their favorite aunt.” 

Marcus’ eyes widened slightly as he looked over at Lottie. She hadn’t mentioned that she had nephews. Just what else had she held back from him? Right. This was only their third date. There was a lot he still didn’t know about her. That she didn’t know about him. The happiness from learning that she had told her family about him waned slightly. 

If this was going to continue, Marcus had a few secrets of his own that he would have to divulge.

“Oh, bring Flint if you want,” Adam added. Lottie’s eyes widened as she sat up in her chair. Marcus wasn’t sure what to say, though at that moment he let yet another fart out. Both brother and sister turned their focus to him.

“Think you could fix that next?” Marcus asked, sure that under the boils, his face was bright red. 

“Right… sure,” Adam said, handing him the next vial. “Try this.”

Marcus gulped it down, not even caring that it tasted similar to what he assumed sewer water would taste like. They all waited a few moments to see what happened. Marcus looked down at his hands, seeing the boils were starting to shrink.

“There we are,” Adam said proudly. Marcus farted again. “Oh…”

“Christ, Adam,” Lottie shot across the bed as she jumped to her feet. “I know you’re doing this on purpose!” Marcus raised his eyebrows as he looked over at the healer, starting to frown. 

“I swear, Char, I’m not,” Adam said, now staring at Marcus closely, the healer side of him fully taking over. “Really, that potion should have gotten rid of everything. Whatever it was they gave you, must be fairly potent.”

“Reckon it was,” Marcus grumbled as he shifted in the bed, thinking about George Weasley. He hadn’t thought that Wood would enlist the help of his prankster friend in their little feud. Actually, no, that didn’t seem like Wood. He was all about playing fair and following the rules. It was likely that Wood had talked to the Gryffindor chasers about this and then Johnson had told her boyfriend. Then Weasley had acted on his own. 

That sounded far more plausible. 

“Okay, right… I think I know what to do next,” Adam said, already walking to the door as another, loud fart resounded throughout the room. Lottie sighed and sat back down, studying him.

“Really, tell me who did this. I mean… there are laws against this sort of thing, you know,” she said, frowning, after Adam left. 

“It’s fine, Lottie,” Marcus said, shifting in the bed as he started feeling a bit lightheaded. Was this another effect of the joke potion or was it one of the antidotes that Adam had given him?

“No, it’s not,” Lottie said. “What if you had a bad reaction to it?”

“I’m… it’s fine,” Marcus said, struggling with his words a bit. Worry started to enter Lottie’s eyes. 

“Are you okay?” she asked, starting to stand and lean over him. He tried to focus on her face, but there were now two of them and he wasn’t sure which one was real.

“You’re very pretty tonight. Both of you,” Marcus said, starting to smile. “Did I tell you that earlier? You’re always pretty.”

“That’s lovely,” Lottie said, starting to move from the bed. Where was she going? No, don’t go, Marcus thought. Stay here, pretty Lottie.

She stopped and gave him an amused looked. Shit. He had said that out loud. Lottie snorted softly and continued laughing. He must have said that out loud too.

“You just rest… I’ll go get Adam.”

“Okay.”

~~~

Lottie was thankful that Marcus seemed to have somewhat regained his wits as she helped him home. It had taken a few more potions, but Adam had finally gotten rid of the flatulence. Well, mostly. Every so often, Marcus would let out another soft one that would have her in giggles again.

Though he was still a little loopy, so thankfully was currently not so embarrassed by it. She had given Adam a fairly good tongue-lashing about it for the short period that he had passed out, though her brother swore that it wasn’t his intention. Just an unexpected side effect. And that he really was trying to reverse the potion, but it was a bit more difficult than what he usually dealt with. 

Of course, then as they were about to leave, Adam had the gall to ask her if this was what she really wanted. To be with Flint - the bloke who called her Smelly Bells in school. She had told him that he had changed and then promptly left, half dragging Marcus with her.

“Almost there,” she said as they cleared the last step and were now in front of Flint’s front door. He pulled out his wand and tapped out a rhythm then opened it, the two of them stumbling in. She glanced around, noting that it was clean but had a distinctly masculine feel to it. Though she didn’t really have time to study it more. She needed to get Marcus to bed.

“I really am sorry,” Marcus said for what felt like the 100th time that night, his words still slightly slurred as they made their way through the living room to a slightly opened door that Lottie assumed was his bedroom.

“As I’ve said, it’s not your fault,” Lottie replied, struggling a bit as he put more weight on her. Merlin, he was heavy. Granted, he _was_ a professional quidditch player. 

“I ruined our date,” Marcus lamented. Lottie couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Trust me, you didn’t ruin anything,” she said as they walked in and the room was flooded with soft light. She moved over to the large bed and then pushed him on it. The large player splayed out and Lottie huffed slightly before removing his shoes and then struggling to get him tucked in. Yes, he was fully clothed but as hard as it was to get him this far, she didn’t want to spend the next hour trying to get him undressed. “Now, Adam says you just need to sleep, and you’ll feel fine in the morning.” 

Marcus looked up at her, blinking slightly as though he were struggling to focus on her face a bit. She bent down and kissed his forehead. He really was adorable like this. As she started to back up, Marcus reached out and touched her cheek.

“I know they bother you, but it must be nice having brothers,” he said. Lottie’s eyes widened slightly. “They care about you. Be happy you’re not alone.” Lottie frowned slightly, the statement hitting her a bit hard. 

She hadn’t thought much about Marcus’ homelife before, but the look on his face made her wonder just how hard it had been for him. And how hard it might be now. He never spoke about his family, or why he decided to fight against You Know Who. She wondered if perhaps everything - the bullying, the macho image - if it were a front for something deeper.

What pain did Marcus Flint carry in him?

“I do love them,” she said softly, as a smile came over her face. “They annoy me, but I love them.” Marcus smiled. “And you’re not alone, you know. You’ve got me for starters.” His smile grew, though a faint blush came over his face. 

“I like you, Lottie. A lot,” he said. He then chuckled slightly as though he had made some sort of joke. He then stopped and looked up at her. “Stay with me.” 

Lottie was silent. She wasn’t sure if he was talking about right now, or if there was something more to the request. Her heart clenched slightly. She swallowed and then leaned down to gently kiss his lips. 

“Of course, I’ll stay…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Had so much fun with the next round of dates that I had to give each their own chapter.


	11. Kings of Sabotage - Part Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was only supposed to be a fun afternoon at a quidditch match...

**Kings of Sabotage - Part 2**

Oliver held onto Lottie’s hand as they walked through the park. He glanced over, noticing that she looked a bit more tired than usual as she attempted to stifle a yawn. He thought it a bit odd as it was after lunch, but then remembered that she was working a rather large caseload at the moment.

“Work late again yesterday?” he asked. Lottie’s eyes widened as she looked over at him and then smiled brightly. A bit too brightly. As though she was hiding something.

“Yea, but it’s okay. I’m fine,” she said, squeezing his hand. She then looked out at the park. “Where are we going again?”

“Ah, well, I sort of forgot after we made plans that I promised Clara I’d come watch Michael’s match today. Hope you don’t mind,” he said, slightly nervous. It was a big step bringing her to a family thing.

But Alicia and Katie assured him that it was the right move. 

And Lottie already knew Clara, who had been in the same year as Lottie’s brother Bernard. So surely it wasn’t _that_ big of a step. Course, he hadn’t brought any of the other women he dated to meet his family before.

Merlin, this was a mistake.

But then Lottie’s eyes lit up as her smile turned more genuine.

“Sounds wonderful,” she replied. “Plus, I’d love to catch up with Clara.” Oliver breathed a sigh of relief as he picked up his pace a bit.

“Good. The Little League pitches are just over here,” he said, pointing towards a hill. 

They rounded the top of it and spread out before them were about four pitches spread out with a concession stand in the middle. All four were in use, with various pint-sized players all on their brooms warming up. Lottie chuckled softly.

“Been an age since I’ve been to a Little League match,” she said, glancing at him. Oliver just squeezed her hand and pulled her with him down the hill. They walked to one of the closer ones and he was scanning the various parents and such there when a woman with long, light brown hair jumped up and started waving at them. 

“Good, you made it,” Clara said with a grin. She looked at Lottie and immediately walked over and hugged her. “Good to see you again, Lottie!” 

“You as well, Clara,” Lottie replied. “Merlin, it’s been forever.”

“Let me look at you… wow… what’s in the water over there in America?” Clara asked, holding Lottie at arms’ length as she studied her. Lottie blushed slightly as Clara glanced over at Oliver. “Hope my brother’s been a gentleman.” 

“Oh, always,” Lottie said, glancing at him with a smile. Clara laughed and threw her arm around Lottie’s shoulder as she guided her back to some lawn chairs she had set up. 

“Though I question his ability to romance if he thinks a Little League game is an acceptable date,” she replied, raising an eyebrow in Oliver’s direction. He shot her a look of warning that she just returned with a grin.

“Please, I’m looking forward to it,” Lottie said sincerely. “My nephew plays but haven’t been able to make any of his matches since I’ve been in America.”

“At least we get to catch up a bit,” Clara said, stopping at three empty chairs. “This is my husband, Kyle.” A tall man with blonde hair and hazel eyes immediately jumped up from his chair and held his hand out.

“Lovely to meet you,” he said warmly. 

“Lottie here was in the same year as my brother,” Clara said looking over her shoulder at Oliver, who stood just behind them, shifting slightly on his feet. 

“Lovely to meet you as well,” Lottie returned. 

“Well then, best get comfortable. They don’t let them play as long as regular matches, but we’ll be here all afternoon,” Clara said, moving to sit in the chair next to Kyle. “And I reckon you could use some tea. Or rather something a bit stronger?”

Oliver rolled his eyes slightly as he sat in the chair on the other side of Lottie. Leave it to Clara to bring alcohol to a Little League match. Lottie just laughed in return.

“It’s only 1 pm,” she exclaimed. 

“Trust me… you’ll need it,” Clara said softly as a small boy with blonde hair and brown eyes in a quidditch uniform ran up to them, half dragging his broom. Oliver immediately stood up again.

“Uncle Ollie!” the boy shouted as he ran over to him and Oliver scooped him up, the broom dropping to the ground as he squealed a bit. 

“What did I tell you about taking care of your broom?” he asked sternly, looking at the little boy. His eyes widened slightly as Oliver placed him back down on the ground. 

“Don’t drag it,” he recited. “If you take care of your broom, it’ll take care of you.” 

“That’s a good lad,” Oliver said, smiling as he ruffled his hair and then sat down. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Lottie watching him with an amused look on her face.

“Uncle Ollie?” she said softly.

“Hush,” he replied, smiling in return. 

“Uncle Ollie, is this your girlfriend?” Michael asked, staring intently at Lottie. Her eyes immediately went wide as her cheeks turned red.

“Michael!” Clara chided, though she was chuckling. 

“This is Lottie, and she’s a very good friend of mine,” Oliver said, feeling his own cheeks heat up slightly. Michael looked at her a bit longer before putting his hand out.

“Nice to meet you, Lottie. I’m Michael. Michael Argus Fitzgibbons,” he said formally. Lottie smiled as she shook his hand. 

“It’s very nice to meet you, Michael Argus Fitzgibbons,” she replied. 

“Better get back to the pitch. Game’s about to start,” Kyle said. 

“Alright,” Michael said with a nod before turning and scampering off, his robes flying behind him.

“Your broom!” Oliver shouted. The little tyke stopped and spun back around, running back over to retrieve his broom, then running off to the group of other children gathered around a coach.

“Seems awfully young to be playing,” Lottie commented, looking over at Clara. 

“I thought so as well, but I was outvoted,” Clara replied, sending a sharp look towards Oliver as she dug through a large bag in between her and Lottie’s chair. She pulled out a bottle of butterbeer and handed it to the younger woman. “Merlin, even Oliver didn’t start until he was 7.”

“There’s nothing wrong with starting him a bit early,” Oliver shot back. Clara snorted.

“I seriously feel for the woman you end up marrying,” she replied as she pulled out her own bottle. Oliver felt his cheeks heat up but avoided looking at Lottie.

“He’s got a point, Clare. If Michael wants a good chance at going pro, the earlier, the better,” Kyle said. Clara rolled her eyes and pointed towards the pitch. 

“Does he look like he wants to play in the pros? Merlin, he’s only 5,” she said, though she didn’t sound angry. Oliver looked over, seeing Michael running around in circles as he held his robes out like a cape. 

“Ehm, at least he’s having fun,” Oliver said, looking back over at his sister as she tossed a bottle over to him. He caught it easily. 

“Just watch the bloody match,” she retorted, though she was smiling. Oliver chuckled as he turned back to face the pitch just as the referee signaled that it was about to begin. 

“So… all the rules the same?” Lottie asked, sitting up in her chair a bit as she watched the teams get into formation.

“Yea, though they usually set the time limit at around two hours. If no one’s caught the snitch, they just determine it by points scored,” he explained. “The bludgers are softer and don’t move as fast. Same with the snitch.” 

“Thank Godric,” Clara added.

“Mostly they just fly around a bit before someone manages to get the quaffle in,” Oliver continued, looking over at Lottie. “Not as exciting as pro matches, but definitely entertaining.” She looked over at him, smiling. 

“Looks like an afternoon well spent to me,” she replied.

~~~

About an hour into the match, Oliver was up on his feet, shouting out instructions to Michael as he zoomed around the pitch, appearing as though he were playing chase with one of the other chasers rather than playing quidditch. Lottie was next to him, cheering the little tyke on as well as she clapped.

“Sit down. He’s not going to fly any faster with you two shouting at him,” Clara said, chuckling.

“I was just tell-”

“Oliver,” Clara said in warning. Lottie looked over at him, grinning as her eyes twinkled. 

“He is only 5,” she added. “This is Little League.” Oliver huffed slightly and sat back down, clearly seeing that he was outnumbered. Lottie just laughed as she returned to her chair as well. Clara held out a cup to her. She took it and took a sip as she turned back to watching the match. One of the other team’s beaters tumbled off his broom trying to hit a bludger, taking out one of their chasers as well.

“Oh dear,” Clara said, already sitting up in her chair, her brow furrowed.

“They’re not hurt, are they?” Lottie asked, suddenly concerned as well.

“Shouldn’t be. Helped with the cushioning charms. Should feel like falling onto a pillow,” Oliver said, hoping to reassure her. 

“But it’ll be a good 5-minute time out to get them sorted,” Clara said, pushing up from her chair. “Care to join me to the ladies?” Lottie smiled and nodded, putting her cup down. 

“Be back,” she said, looking over at Oliver.

“So that’s her, eh?” Kyle said with smile after the two women had walked off, talking animatedly about something. Oliver couldn’t help the smile that came over his face as he watched them.

“Aye,” he replied. 

“See why you’re taken with her. Don’t know many women who would enjoy a Little League match for a kid that wasn’t their own,” Kyle said. Oliver looked over at him, his eyebrows raised slightly.

“Like she said, she’s got nephews,” he replied. “And well… helps that she’s a massive quidditch fan.” Kyle snorted.

“Should marry her before some other bloke swoops in. Doubt you’ll find another like that,” he replied, grinning. Oliver sighed as the smile faded from his face. “What’s this?”

“Nothing,” he replied, offering a smile. He did not want Kyle and Clara weighing on the current situation. Knowing his sister, it would be a very long, very loud conversation. “But yea… she is somethin’ special, isn’t she?”

“Mate… you’ve got it bad for her already,” Kyle replied with a chuckle. Oliver could feel his cheeks heat up. “Nothing wrong with that. You two look good together.” He looked over, seeing Clara and Lottie already making their way back, the two laughing loudly over something. 

He could feel a stirring in his heart. He had felt it earlier when he watched Lottie with Michael as well. Even though it was still relatively new, and they had only been out a few times, he felt as though Lottie already fit in with his family. And though he had told himself to take things slow - and there was the whole deal with Flint - he couldn’t help but think that he wanted Lottie at his side always. 

“Just what’s got you two shrieking about like banshees?” Kyle asked as Clara bent down to kiss his cheek before settling in her chair.

“Oh… just girl things,” Clara said easily as she shot a wink at her brother. 

“They start up again yet?” Lottie asked, her eyes on the pitch. Oliver turned back, seeing that they were just about to restart the game.

“Just now, I think,” he replied before glancing over at her. 

“If you two don’t have other plans, you up for a picnic after the match?” Clara asked. “Brought a couple bottles of wine I could use some help with.” Oliver waited to speak, watching Lottie’s face. But she just turned to Clara, smiling.

“I’d love to,” she said. Oliver couldn’t help the grin that spread over his face as she turned back to him. “That alright with you?”

“Of course,” he said quickly. Lottie then looked to the pitch. 

“Michael’s got the quaffle!” she said, jumping to her feet and starting to clap and shout out encouragement. Oliver stood and joined her, watching as the little boy seemed to finally focus on playing quidditch. 

“Go Mickey!” he shouted. 

Something across the pitch caught his eye. He looked over, squinting slightly at the group on the other side. Was that… Adrian Pucey? Just what was he doing here? Oliver then frowned. Of course, Flint would send someone to spy on them. 

He then smirked. If he were here to spy, then he’d at least give him a good show. He slid his arm around Lottie’s waist, causing her to look up at him with wide eyes. He just smiled at her and pecked her on the lips. Her cheeks turned slightly pink, but she continued to smile as she snuggled a bit closer and turned her attention back to the game. 

“You can do it!” she shouted. 

Michael had an intense look of concentration on his face as he zeroed in on the hoops. Just as he was about to throw the quaffle, he zoomed down to miss a bludger, but then threw the ball. Both Oliver and Lottie shouted in excitement as it went through the hoop. She turned to him, throwing her arms around his neck. 

“OLIVER!” Clara shouted, her eyes wide. He looked over just in time to see the bludger heading straight for them, moving far faster than it should be able to. He was already starting to push Lottie away, but she had turned to look at the same time and was in the process of pulling her wand out, trying to shove him aside.

As a result, neither of them budged.

Before he could fully react, she had jumped in front of him and the bludger sailed straight into her head. He managed to catch her before she hit the ground, a dazed look on her face as blood started pouring out her nose, down her chin and neck onto her grey t-shirt.

“Fucking hell!” she shouted, forgetting there were children around as Clara and Kyle rushed over to her. 

Oliver looked over across the field, his eyes easily finding a stricken Pucey with his wand out. The bloody wanker. If he hadn’t been holding Lottie, he would have charged over there and socked him. But as it was, the bugger apparated right that second. 

“Does it hurt badly?” Clara asked. Lottie just groaned in response. Oliver returned his attention to the matter at hand.

“I thought they weren’t supposed to move that fast,” she moaned. 

“You need to get her to St. Mungos,” Clara said, looking over at Oliver. 

“No. I can fix it myself,” Lottie said, trying to stand. Oliver just pulled his wand out of his jacket pocket and then hefted her up into his arms. 

“You might have a concussion,” he said reasonably. “We’re going to St. Mungo’s.” Before she could argue with him, they had already disappeared.

~~~

Lottie silently fumed as she sat in the bed, not relishing the fact that she was back at St. Mungo’s for the second day in a row. She only hoped that Adam wasn’t working the weekend shift. 

“Here you are,” Oliver said, rushing into the room with a cold compress. Lottie winced as he put it to her nose just over the cloth she held there to stem the blood. He looked worried as his eyes scanned her face, likely taking in the bruises that were already forming. 

“Thank you,” she said gratefully. “At least it wasn’t a pro standard bludger. Otherwise I would have been out. Merlin, that kid has an arm on him.” Oliver’s expression became dark and it appeared he was stewing over something. “Oliver, it’s fine. He didn’t mean to hit me. It’s Little League.” 

He just grunted and stepped back from the bed, pacing slowly. Lottie sighed and laid back, hoping the healer came in soon. She was starting to get a headache. 

“You know there are better ways to visit me,” Adam said as he walked into the room, then froze slightly when he saw Oliver. He looked over at Lottie and began to grin. 

Her expression clearly read, _“Say nothing.”_

He cleared his throat and smiled at Oliver. 

“Good to see you again, Wood,” he said, holding his hand out. 

“You as well, Bell,” Oliver replied, shaking his hand. “Think we could get Lottie patched up?”

“Of course,” Adam said, already walking over to the bed. He gently pulled the compress and clothe away, inspecting her face. “Blimey. How did this happen?”

“Rogue bludger at a Little League match,” Oliver said. “I was trying to push her out of the way, but she jumped in front of it.” Adam snorted as Lottie frowned at him.

“Sounds like Char,” he replied, feeling around her face.

“I was going to stop- Gah! That hurts!” she shouted, turning her face from him.

“Definitely broken,” Adam replied as he pulled his wand out of his robe pocket. “Let me check for a concussion and then we’ll get that fixed up.” He muttered a spell as he waved his wand over her head. Lottie just scowled at him. “How you been?” He looked over his shoulder at Oliver. “Caught your last match against the Arrows on the wireless. Seems you’re on a good streak.” 

Oliver gave him a confused look before returning his attention to Lottie.

“Been good. And that’s the training,” he replied. “You think it could be a serious concussion? They aren’t league standard bludgers, but still pack a wallop.”

Adam returned his attention back to his sister. 

“She’ll be fine. No concussion. But you’re going to have some lovely bruises,” he said, grinning. Lottie just rolled her eyes. 

“Fix my nose,” she demanded, not wanting to spend another few hours in St. Mungo’s with her brother. 

“As you wish,” Adam replied lightly, waving his wand. Lottie shouted in pain as her nose snapped back into place, her eyes watering up. “We’ll get you cleaned up, some pain potion, and then you can be on your merry way.” He waved his wand and a few supplies flew over to the table next to him. “So… Little League game?”

“My nephew,” Oliver said, now standing next to Adam, his eyes still fixed on Lottie, though she was in too much pain to comment on it. She urged Adam to move faster with her look, knowing he was bound to say something stupid the longer they were here. 

“Really? Need to get Lottie out to some of Flynn’s games now that she’s back,” Adam commented before dabbing around her nose with a sterile gauze. Lottie flinched and then glared at him, knowing that he could easily clean her up with one spell. He was drawing this out on purpose. “Perhaps you could come along. Give him some pointers.”

“Love to,” Oliver said, seeming to be slightly distracted from Lottie with talk of quidditch. Lottie just rolled her eyes as Adam winked at her. 

“While I’m thinking about it, both of you should come over for dinner. Mary’s been after Lottie to come around since she got back. The boys would love to meet a real life quidditch player,” Adam continued. Oliver’s eyes widened as he looked over to Lottie, silently deferring to her. “Would be good to catch up as well.” 

“Yes, we’ll come. Just bloody get on with it,” Lottie snapped. Adam chuckled and finished cleaning up her face. 

“I’ll be back with that potion…”

~~~

“Whoop!” Lottie shouted as she and Oliver appeared just outside her door, holding on tightly to his neck. Oliver couldn’t help but chuckle. Whatever was in the pain potion Adam gave her was powerful it seemed as she started giggling while pulling out her wand and undoing the charm that kept the door locked.

She stumbled slightly and Oliver easily picked her up again before opening the door and walking into the flat. He headed straight for the sofa and gently put her down. 

“Thank you,” she said, a wobbly grin on her face as she kept her arms around his neck. Though the blood was all cleaned up, she looked a bit like a drunk raccoon with the bruises around her eyes quickly coming in and the loopy smile.

“I’ll just get you some tea,” Oliver said, pulling her arms from his neck and starting towards the kitchen. 

“I feel like I’m flying,” Lottie sang loudly, and off-key. Oliver laughed softly as he looked over his shoulder at her and then continued on, placing the small bottle of pain potion that Adam had given him for her on the counter. He gave him instruction to give her more in four hours if there was still some pain, but only a few drops in her tea. 

He then said that he looked forward to seeing him at dinner before whispering that Lottie loved tulips. And that he should stick around to watch her for a few hours and maybe have a chat with her. He then winked and walked off, leaving the confused keeper with a loopy Lottie to take home.

Oliver made quick work of the tea and then returned to the living room, seeing Lottie staring at her hand, a look of enchantment on her face. He stopped slightly, wondering just what Adam had given her. Knowing the older Bell, it was likely done intentionally. He then sighed and continued over. Lottie dropped her hand and grinned up at him.

“You’re back,” she stated. 

“Told you I was just in the kitchen,” he replied as she pushed herself up into a seated position and reached for the mug. Oliver sat on the other end of the sofa, pulling her feet into his lap. “Need anything else?”

“Got something that makes bruises vanish?” she asked, swaying slightly as she blew on her tea. “Just my luck… hit by a bludger and I wasn’t even playing…” She then giggled. 

For a moment, Oliver let his anger take over as he thought to Pucey at the pitch. It was clear that he had been trying to sabotage their date. How had he even found out about it? Did Lottie tell Flint? He studied her a moment and then decided that wasn’t it. Pucey likely found out on his own. But then, Oliver remembered the look of shock on his face. He was intending to hit him with the bludger. And not expecting Lottie to jump in the way. 

Sighing, Oliver shook his head as a soft smile came over his face. She was most definitely meant to be an auror with that display.

“I wish I could read your mind,” Lottie said, her words a bit slurred. “What you thinkin’ ‘bout?”

“You. And how glad I am that you’re not hurt too badly,” he replied. Lottie snorted loudly.

“Please. I’ve been hurt far worse than this,” she said before taking a drink. “One time, Bernie hit me in the head with a bludger so hard, I couldn’t see straight for two days. TWO DAYS! And then… and then… I’ve got a scar from this griffon that we picked up working the trafficking case. Got me right in the side. You want to see it?” She was already starting to lift her shirt, though Oliver quickly stopped her. 

As much as he would love to see Lottie without her shirt on, now was clearly not the time.

“I’ll take your word for it,” he said with a chuckle. “And I’ve got some salve that will help with the bruises. Won’t make them disappear but will speed up the healing process.” 

She sighed and settled back into the pillows, sipping from the mug as she stared at him. Now he was wondering what she was thinking. 

“I had fun today… even with the bludger. Your nephew is adorable,” Lottie said. 

“He’s a fun little tyke,” Oliver said. 

“And I like Kyle. And Clara. And you. But mostly you. I like you the most,” she continued, her goofy smile returning. It then dawned on Oliver just why Adam suggested he look out for her a few hours and chat. Merlin, the pain potion must have some sort of truth-telling side effect. He sighed and shook his head, an amused look coming over his face. “What… do you like me too?” He looked over at her, her eyes wide as she sat up slightly, waiting for his response.

“Yes, I do. I…,” he stopped unsure of how far he should push it. Lottie smiled and leaned back into the cushion. “I really care about you, Lottie.”

“Even with two black eyes?” she asked. He chuckled and nodded. 

“Yes, even with two black eyes,” he replied.

“I’ve liked you since Hogwarts,” she declared. “Did you know that?”

“Not at the time,” Oliver said, deciding it was only fair to be honest with her. “Davies mentioned it to me one practice last week.” Lottie snorted.

“The git couldn’t keep a secret to save his life,” she replied. “Though… suppose it wasn’t a _big_ secret.” She took to studying him again. “But… you were also so nice to me… and tried to make me feel comfortable even when everyone else didn’t… I always wondered if you knew…”

“Knew about what?” Oliver asked. “I mean… I could tell that a lot of situations made you anxious… nervous. Just… didn’t think it must be that fun to always be anxious or nervous.” Lottie smiled.

“And that’s why you’re the good sort, Oliver,” she said, though she started blinking a bit and yawned. Oliver quickly reached over and took the mug from her before she spilled it as her head lulled forward. She then snapped it back up.

“Maybe you should get some sleep,” he said soothingly as he placed the mug on the coffee table.

“Yea… sounds good,” she said, starting to settle into the sofa. She then shot back up. “Will you stay?” Oliver smiled and nodded.

“Yea, I’ll be here when you wake up,” he promised. Lottie smiled and then settled back down.

“Good…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Decided to post this one along with part one since they are a set.


	12. Enter the Dark Horse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As if Lottie needed one more thing on her plate right now...

**Enter the Dark Horse**

Lottie shifted in her chair, pouring over the contents of a file on yet another known accomplice of the dark wizard they were searching for. Most of them were dead or in Azkaban, which was making her think they weren’t going to find him this way. But she wanted to be thorough and cross out as many names on the list as they could.

She was getting a bit antsy, wanting to be out actually doing some tracking. But their last lead had gone cold much like the others. She was going to go out of the box with this one, most definitely. But then again, that’s what made her good at her job in her mind.

“You sure it doesn’t hurt?” she heard Potter ask yet again. She looked up at him, catching the look of concern on his face. She huffed slightly.

“It doesn’t hurt,” she replied flatly before returning to the file and then finally shutting it and tossing in on her desk before massaging her temples. This was getting them nowhere. Perhaps she should go out for lunch and clear her head. Not to mention, it would get her away from all the questions about her face, which was still fairly bruised after her collision with the bludger.

She had already had to tell the story about 10 times so far that morning. And more often than not, the other person struggled to contain their laughter.

More than that, it brought up lingering embarrassment. She sent Adam a howler after the potion had worn off and Oliver left, knowing full and well he had given her that particular pain potion intentionally. Only a handful of people had that reaction, as they had discovered when she was still in school. Bernie had accidentally broken her arm in a rough quidditch match in the backyard and Adam happened to have it on hand. 

She had apologized a million times to Oliver for how she had acted, but he had taken it in stride. She woke up to a vase of tulips on the coffee table with a small container of the salve. He had even picked up some food, accurately guessing that she would be starving when she finally woke up. They had a relaxed dinner before he left, with Lottie assuring him that she would be fine to take care of herself. Though that didn’t stop him from sending an owl the next day to check on her and ask if she needed anything.

Lottie had then spent the rest of Saturday night and then Sunday holed up in her flat, agonizing over everything. She had seen a more vulnerable side of Marcus on Friday night that stuck with her and made her all the more attracted to him and curious to know more about him. But then the next day with Oliver, she had managed to not think of Marcus once. She had felt at-home with his family. As though she was already part of them, and that feeling had settled warmly with her.

Then there was the potion debacle – he hadn’t taken advantage of her temporary inability to lie – even if he didn’t really know it was a side effect. And had taken care of her.

In short, Lottie felt that she was truly and fully screwed, because she was dating two wonderful men and date-by-date falling equally for both of them. 

She needed to talk to Penny. And fast. 

“Bloody hell, Char.”

Groaning, she turned in her chair to see Bernard standing next to her desk, his eyes wide in shock though he was grinning. He started chuckling, but then broke out into loud belly laughs that started garnering attention from other aurors in the office. She crossed her arms and glared at him.

“Get it all out,” she replied dryly as he leaned against another desk to brace himself. While the salve had helped, there was still a rather ghastly purplish-greenish hue around her eyes. 

“When Adam said you looked like a raccoon, didn’t nearly believe him,” Bernard said, straightening up and wiping a few tears from his eyes. “You’re not in pain, are you?”

“No,” Lottie said firmly, guessing Adam had probably told him about the potion as well. 

“Wood get you home alright?” Bernard then asked, his blue eyes still dancing with mirth. Lottie narrowed her eyes at him before taking a deep breath and opening her mouth to let him have it. 

“Good, most of you are here.”

Lottie snapped her mouth shut and jumped to her feet as their boss Collins walked in. There was someone just behind him, but she couldn’t make out who it was as they were looking around the office in the opposite direction. But there was something familiar about him.

“We have a new transfer from MACUSA. This is Aiden Crestwater. He’ll be taking over Dagger’s team, but I expect all of you to make him feel welcomed and help get him settled,” Collins said in his usual clipped tone.

Lottie froze as her eyes widened and she stopped breathing for a moment. Harry looked at her in confusion and then over at Bernard, who had gone stiff, though he was glaring at the newcomer. 

“You know Bell, I take it?” Collins asked, looking at the man. “I mean, Lottie, that is. This is her brother Bernard Bell. He’s currently heading up his own team as well.” 

Aiden flashed a charming smile and nod towards Lottie, ignoring Bernard. He was taller than her brother - though Bernard was stockier - and had sandy blonde hair that looked effortlessly tousled. His light blue eyes were firmly fixed on Lottie as though she were the only person in the room.

“Yes, we worked together in MACUSA,” Aiden said smoothly. “Good to see you again, Lottie.” Lottie bristled but gave him a tightlipped smile in return.

“Good, this is her partner, Harry Potter. I’ll give you the rest of the tour and then introduce you to your team,” Collins continued. “Follow me.”

“Yes, sir,” Aiden said, following Collins though he shot one more smile at Lottie before they left. 

“What the hell,” Bernard bellowed as soon as they were out of earshot. He turned to Lottie. “Take it you didn’t know about this?”

“Does it look like I knew?” Lottie shot back at him. 

“And I take it neither of you are particularly fond of Crestwater?” Potter asked cautiously. The two siblings looked over at him with expressions so ferocious that he backed away with his hands up even though there were two desks in between them. “Sorry I asked…”

Lottie sighed and ran her fingers through her hair.

“Sorry, not your fault,” she said, collapsing in her chair. “Fucking hell… why is he here?”

“Probably here to steal more of your glory,” Bernard replied, glaring towards the door that Collins and Aiden had left through.

“Argh! As if I needed something else to worry about!” Lottie groaned as she dropped her head on her desk. Bernard looked back towards her, his face immediately full of worry. 

“You need me to talk to him? Tell him to stay away from you?” he asked. Lottie shot back up and glared at her older brother.

“No! You and Adam have done quite enough meddling in my life as it is!” she shouted. Bernard took a few steps away from her.

“Just offering,” he said. “You know that we’d do anything for you.” Lottie groaned and pushed up from her desk then turned to scowl at him.

“When are you two going to learn that I don’t _need_ you to protect me anymore?!” she shouted. She then started towards the door.

“Where are you going?” Bernard called after her.

“Lunch! You coming, Potter?!” she barked in response. 

“Yes, sure. Coming,” Potter said, moving quickly to follow her. He wasn’t sure he wanted to, but it was better than facing her wrath by staying. Bernard just watched the two walk out of the office and then sighed. 

“Better tell Adam,” he muttered to himself before going back to his own desk. 

~~~

Penny watched as Lottie downed yet another glass of wine, her eyebrows arched. She knew that the woman was no lightweight, but if she kept this up, she was going to have one nasty hangover at work the next day. 

“So… he’s here,” she said, the only response she could manage after Lottie had hurriedly told her that her ex had transferred to the Ministry’s auror department. Penny had never liked the bloke, even told Lottie so several times after first meeting him before the two got together. It was probably the one time that Penny hadn’t encouraged her to go on a date, getting a feeling that he was the sort that didn’t have anyone’s interests in mind but his own. 

“Yes,” Lottie said, reaching for the bottle on the coffee table and then shaking it. Upon realizing it was empty, she got up and started towards the kitchen.

“I really don’t think another bottle of wine is going to help the situation,” Penny shouted after her. 

“It won’t hurt either!” came the response. Penny sighed and shook her head, reaching for her own glass. She knew better than to push Lottie when she was like this. Best to let her get to it her own time. “I mean… of all the…” Lottie walked out of the kitchen and stopped, growling in frustration. “What the hell is he doing?!”

“Well… he truly is out to steal more of your credit, or he wants you back,” Penny said, thinking it was rather obvious why Aiden was in the UK. Lottie looked over at her, the shock clear on her face. Penny really wanted to chuckle, finding it amusing just how unaware of her own allure Lottie was. 

She had emerged from auror training with far more confidence than she had ever had. Her nervous ticks had lessened exponentially, and she had a focus in life other than studying and in general trying to be unnoticeable. 

Add that to her new look and Lottie was overall rather attractive to the opposite sex. While she had finally figured things out in that department, there was a time when she was still a bit clueless. Penny knew right away after meeting Aiden the first time that he fancied Lottie and was attempting to take advantage of her cluelessness. Six months later, the two were officially a couple.

It was of no surprise whatsoever to Penny that both Marcus Flint and Oliver Wood had asked Lottie out just after she had returned to England. But that wasn’t the point of tonight. 

“You don’t think he really wants to get back together, do you?” Lottie asked, rushing back over to the sofa and sitting back down. Penny really did have to fight against her laughter. The look of utter disbelief mixed with Lottie’s bruises was rather comical. She just shrugged instead and took a sip of her wine.

“Suppose we’ll just have to wait and see, but even if that’s it, it doesn’t matter,” Penny said firmly. “You broke up for a reason. And I know that you won’t take him back.”

“Of course not,” Lottie replied as though just the idea of it were ridiculous. “May have broken up some time ago, but I certainly remember everything.” She then reached for her glass and poured more wine. “I’d never go back to him. Not after what he did.” 

“Good to hear you say it, though I never doubted you,” Penny replied. 

“Besides, got too many men on my plate as it is,” Lottie said ruefully as she brought the glass to her lips.

“And how is that-”

“Can we not talk about Marcus and Oliver right now?” Lottie said with a grimace. 

“Shall we talk about your brother, then?” Penny asked, smiling slightly. Lottie rolled her eyes. 

“I cannot believe he would give me that damn potion! Actually, no, I can believe it. Just… the git,” Lottie fumed. “And then Bernard went all protective today when Aiden arrived…. Can I not have brothers? Well, save Charlie. At least he understands me.”

Penny leaned over and patted her on the back. She really did feel for Lottie there. Being an only child, she had always kind of wished for siblings. But then when she met Lottie’s older brothers, she thanked Merlin she was an only child. Charlie wasn’t nearly as bad as Adam and Bernard, but even he and Lottie would occasionally get into rows.

“Adam invited Oliver and I over for dinner,” Lottie said before taking a large drink of her wine. “He and Bernard have certainly made it known who they would prefer that I date.” 

“And Charlie?” Penny asked.

“He says whoever I choose is likely to be a good bloke,” Lottie replied. She looked over at Penny. “This is getting difficult.” Penny sighed again. While she had encouraged Lottie to continue seeing both, even she had thought that at some point she would start to lean one way over the other. Certainly by now, at least.

“Well… it still has only been a few dates with each. Perhaps you just need more time,” she replied.

“Right… I keep forgetting that this is still all rather new,” Lottie said.

They had had so many talks about the two men that Penny sometimes forgot as well that both were still in the beginnings of a relationship. Weren’t even to the actual “exclusive” bit.

“Well, whatever you decide, I support you,” Penny said. Lottie flashed a smile at her then leaned over and hugged her.

“Thanks,” she replied.

“And if you want to hex Aiden, I fully support that as well. In fact, I’ll help you,” Penny added. Lottie chuckled. 

KNOCKKNOCKKNOCK

Both women paused and looked towards the door. 

“You expecting someone?” Penny asked.

“No…”

~~~

Katie dashed up the stairs to Lottie’s flat in record time, happy that she still worked out often otherwise she’d be out of breath. As soon as Charlie had sent word that Aiden was in town - after hearing from Adam, who in turn heard it from Bernard - she knew that she had to go check on her cousin. 

The two aurors had had a rather tumultuous ending to their relationship, after all. 

She stopped at the door and took a deep breath before banging on it. It only took a few moments before a confused Lottie opened the door, a wine glass in hand.

“Kates? What are you doing here?” she asked. Katie launched into a hug.

“Just heard from Charlie about Aiden and had to check on you,” she said in one breath. Lottie rolled her eyes.

“How did Charlie know?” she asked. “No… I know. Merlin, bet the whole family knows and I’ll be getting an owl from Mum and Dad soon.” Katie walked into the flat and put her bag down before pulling off her medic robes. She saw Penny on the sofa and waved at her before going into the kitchen to retrieve her own wine glass. 

When she came back out, Lottie was already moving to sit back down on the sofa. 

“How are you really?” Katie asked as she walked over and poured some wine into her glass before perching in an armchair.

“I’m fine,” Lottie said. 

“Took a bottle of wine to get there, but yes, I can attest to the fact that she is, indeed, fine,” Penny said, smirking at Lottie, who shot her a look. 

“Really. Is it annoying that I’m working with him again when that was part of the reason I left? Yes. But I’m an adult and I can handle this,” Lottie said. “Like a _mature_ adult.” Katie felt somewhat relieved, though she still worried. 

More than Aiden arriving, she worried how this would affect the current situation. Namely that Wood and Flint were currently battling it out for Lottie’s affections and her cousin had no idea. She watched as Lottie and Penny continued discussing Aiden, her heart twisting slightly.

Katie should tell her. She wanted to tell her. But at the same time, she worried what sort of affect that would have on everything. Would derail everything? Maybe it was better if Lottie found out on her own.

“Really, it doesn’t look nearly as bad as you think,” she heard Penny say. Katie tuned back into the conversation, finally taking a good look at Lottie’s face. 

“Wait, what the hell happened?” she asked. She knew that Lottie had dates with both Wood and Flint that weekend. Did something go wrong on either?

“Rogue bludger to the face at the Little League match,” Lottie said with a sigh. “Thankfully the bludger was a bit softer than the usual sort.” Katie’s eyes widened. 

“Ah, but worth it to get Wood to dote on her for the rest of the day and evening,” Penny said with a grin. Lottie blushed slightly. Oh good, it didn’t seem to have thrown her off from him, Katie thought with relief. 

“How was it before the accident?” she asked, eager to hear Lottie’s opinion on the date. Plus, she knew that Alicia and Angelina would expect feedback. 

“It was really nice,” Lottie said, a small smile on her face. “Got to catch up with Clara and meet his nephew. Really is adorable. We had a good time. And Oliver really is sweet. Brought me this salve to help with the bruising and dinner.” 

“Seems things are really working out with him,” Katie commented happily. Lottie nodded and then flinched slightly. Oh dear. What was that about? 

“Be right back. Loo,” Lottie said as she stood and made for her bathroom. Both Katie and Penny watched her leave and then Katie turned back to look at the table, a frown on her face.

“Alright, out with it,” Penny said. Katie looked up at her in surprise. “You know that she’s also seeing Flint, don’t you?” Katie just blinked a few times and then sighed. She took a large drink of her wine.

“More than that… Both Wood and Flint know,” Katie said, unable to stop speaking now that it was all coming out. “They’re in some sort of competition to win her over. And… me, Angelina and Alicia are helping Wood. Got a good feeling Flint’s got his own help. Merlin, I think I should tell her.”

“No,” Penny said quickly. Katie’s eyes widened. 

“But shouldn’t she know?” she asked. Penny thought a moment and then shook her head, smiling slightly. 

“No. I think it’s more interesting this way,” she replied.

“But this is Lottie we’re talking about,” Katie pushed.

“Yes, and we both know how incredibly flustered she’ll get if she knows. Just… let things play out as they will. She needs to focus on her own feelings, not worry about what those two idiots’ friends are doing behind the scenes,” Penny said.

“Don’t you think it a bit unfair though? I mean-”

“We tell her and she starts second-guessing everything. I take it Wood’s got genuine feelings for her?” Penny asked. 

“Well, of course,” Katie replied, as though the idea of Wood going after someone merely for sport were preposterous. It was. That was more Flint’s thing. “But what if Flint is only in it now because it’s some sort of… game…” 

“Then that will come out in due course,” Penny said. “I trust Lottie’s judgement. She’ll figure it out.” Katie huffed and sat back in the chair.

“Fine,” she replied. 

At that moment, Lottie walked back into the room.

“Katie knows about Flint,” Penny declared, causing both Bell woman to freeze. Lottie looked at her cousin.

“What? How?” she asked. Katie sighed and shot a traitorous look towards Penny, who was just grinning. Sometimes she wondered if Penny would have been better off in Slytherin. But that was not the thing to worry about right now. She needed to come up with a believable story as for how she knew that wouldn’t lead her to saying that both men knew the full truth.  
  
“Bernard told me,” she lied, though made a mental note to beg him to go along with the story just in case her cousin asked him about it. Honestly, Katie doubted it – it was long known that her brothers were the biggest gossips in the family. Lottie just huffed and sat back down on the sofa.   
  
“Bloody git,” she muttered. “But suppose it’s about time you knew. Merlin knows I often need advice…”  
  
“How are you managing that? You know they’re teammates,” Katie said.   
  
“I know. It’s a miracle neither have found out yet. Don’t blokes always discuss that sort of thing in locker rooms?” Lottie asked, thinking it over.  
  
“Not Wood,” Katie said quickly. “And, well, don’t know about Flint, but suppose he hasn’t…” Lottie just sighed and reached for her glass.  
  
“That is the absolute last thing I need – the two of them finding out about each other. At least until I sort things out myself. I’m not even sure I want a serious relationship with _anyone_ right now,” she replied before taking a long drink. Katie looked over at Penny who just gave her a smug look as if to say, ‘Told you so.’  
  
“Well… tell me how things are going with Flint…”


	13. Temporary Truce

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver and Marcus decide to put their war aside for a moment. All for Lottie.

**Temporary Truce**

Oliver glanced at his watch and then looked around the busy pub, getting a bit more irritated as more time passed. He had been waiting at least 20 minutes already. It was George’s bloody idea to get drinks tonight, so the very least he could do was be on time.

Sighing, Oliver took another drink of his pint, wondering if he could just leave now and send George an owl later about missing him. He was sore from practice and needed to ice down his knee after twisting it slightly trying out a new maneuver. While he and Flint had managed to stay civil at practice, every so often the chaser would pull out a move that had Oliver scrambling. The keeper was fairly sure that he was doing it on purpose.

In fact, he was fairly sure the chaser had been hard on him today. Was this about Lottie? Flint had to have known that they went out over the weekend, just as Oliver was sure that he had gone out with her. That explained the glares and refusal to speak to him directly.

Just as Oliver was contemplating downing the rest of his drink and leaving, he saw a ginger head pop into the pub just over the crowd, followed by dreadlocks. Of course, he’d bring Lee Jordan with him.

“Hiya, Wood,” George said as he walked up and sat down, still wearing his loud and garish suit from the shop that clashed with his hair. Lee walked over to the bar to order drinks.

“George,” he said, nodding to him.

“Good practice?” George asked.

“About the usual,” Oliver said with a sigh. “Shop doing well?”

“Course it is,” George replied with a grin before looking over to check on Lee. The man in question walked over and put down the two glasses before taking a seat and smiling at Oliver.

“So, what’s this about?” Oliver asked, already suspicious. They were far too happy about something for this to be a casual meeting.

“Does a man need a reason to have a few drinks with his mate?” George asked loudly. Oliver just stared at him. “Right, well, did want to share a bit of news with you.” And there it was. “As you may or may not know, Lottie went on a date with Flint this weekend.”

“I wasn’t aware, but not surprised,” Oliver said evenly. He didn’t see how this was news.

“Well, Jordan and I took it upon ourselves to… observe,” George continued. Before he said another word, Oliver groaned.

“What did you do?” he asked. This must be why Flint was sore with him all day. Probably thought he had sicced George on him. Now he would have to apologize for something that wasn’t his fault.

“What makes you think we did something?” Lee asked. “Maybe we just wanted to fill you in on the date.” Oliver looked from Lee to George, his expression clearly reading that he thought the statement sheer bollocks. 

Didn’t help that George was nearly bouncing in his chair out of excitement. 

“Slipped him a new prototype. Broke out in boils and stinging. Extreme flatulence is also a side effect,” he burst out, obviously proud of himself.

“Get this, if you try and give a cure-all antidote, it just makes the effects twice as worse,” Lee added. Oliver dropped his head into his hands.

“The both of them ran out of there and likely spent the night at St. Mungo’s trying to undo it,” George said gleefully. Oliver looked up at him through his fingers.

“How old are you?” he asked.

“23. Why’s that matter?” George replied. Oliver just groaned again. Flint was certainly going to make him pay for this if he didn’t explain that he hadn’t told them to do it. If Flint would even believe that to begin with.

“Fucking gits, why would you do that?! I want to do this fair and square,” Oliver nearly shouted, though part of him couldn’t help but find it slightly ingenious. However, he was not going to admit that to George and Lee. It would only egg them on. He was likely already looking at some sort of payback on his next date with Lottie as it was.

“Knew that you would try to take the high road and needed us to help you out. Because you know those Slytherins are not going to play fair,” George stated, still smiling. “You can thank me later when you get over yourself.” 

Oliver was about to tell them off more, but stopped, realizing George had a point. He had seen Pucey at the match on Saturday. And he had been trying to screw with his date, in the process, injuring Lottie. At least George and Lee were careful enough that they wouldn’t put Lottie in harm’s way. 

“There it is. He’s just realized that we’re brilliant,” George said, looking over at Lee.

“As much as I don’t want to admit it, you’re right,” Oliver said with a sigh. “Pucey was at the match Saturday spying on us. Then jinxed a bludger to try and hit me, but Lottie jumped in front of it and took it in the face. Broke her nose. We were at St. Mungo’s a bit.”

Both George and Lee’s faces turned stormy. 

“He hurt Lottie?” Lee asked.

“The bastard!” George shouted. Oliver sighed. While he was angry with Pucey, he also knew it was an accident. But part of him wanted to hex him. However, that would only further fan the flames and he definitely did not want things getting out of control between the two sides.

Lottie would definitely find out about everything then.

“Aye, but it was obvious that he wasn’t trying to hurt her. And Adam got her nose fixed up. Though… now that I think about it… he must of treated Flint the night before,” Oliver said, now slightly distracted by thinking back to how Adam had acted at the hospital. Some of the things he had said and Lottie’s reactions now made better sense.

Lee looked around the pub and then turned back to Oliver, smiling slightly.

“If you want your chance at revenge, guess who’s on the other side of the pub?” he said. Oliver frowned and sat up, looking around until he saw Adrian Pucey seated at another table with Higgs and Warrington. 

He wasn’t about to start a fight, but he certainly was going to give the tosser a piece of his mind. He stood and started across the crowded space as George and Lee grinned at each other and clinked their glasses, then turned to watch Oliver.

~~~

“Wait… Weasley did what?” Higgs asked, obviously struggling to keep from laughing. Marcus glared at him as Warrington held no such qualms and was laughing loudly. 

“How long did it last?” he asked, barely able to speak. Pucey was smiling, though looked a bit sick, which Marcus found odd. In fact, he had been off since they all arrived at the pub. 

“Few hours,” he replied. “Whatever the healer gave me made me a bit loopy all night… probably did it on purpose… it was Lottie’s older brother, Adam.” Warrington stopped laughing a moment as he and Higgs stared at Marcus, then burst out into even louder laughter.

“Shit, that’s how you met her older brother? Merlin!” Higgs shouted. 

Marcus just sat there, calmly sipping his pint, letting the lads get it out of their system. 

“But it backfired,” he said calmly. They stopped laughing and gaped at him.

“How’d you mean?” Warrington asked. 

“She helped me home and ended up staying over,” he said, smirking. Of course, nothing had happened. And she was up and gone rather quickly the next morning, saying something about an appointment that afternoon. But they didn’t have to know that. 

“Flint…” Higgs said, slightly in awe. “You’re definitely going to win.” Marcus just shrugged and sat back in his chair. 

“Waiting to hear back from her, but suspect we’ll be going out again soon,” he said with a grin. 

“About that… if she doesn’t…”

The three men looked over at Pucey, confused.

“Why wouldn’t she?” Marcus asked, sitting up.

“Well… I may have done something… complete accident, I swear,” Pucey said. Marcus frowned, suddenly suspicious. 

“What. Did. You. Do?” he asked slowly, narrowing his eyes. Pucey was staring down at the table, not wanting to look at Marcus. He started fiddling with his pint glass.

“I knew she was meeting Wood on Saturday. He took her to his nephew’s quidditch match. And well, she’s known his sister awhile. I only went to watch,” Pucey rambled. “So I could report back if there was anything useful.”

“Again. Tell me what you did,” Marcus repeated, leaning even closer. 

“JinxedabludgertohitWoodbutithitLottieinstead,” Pucey said in one breath. Marcus froze a moment and then scowled at him, standing and starting to pull his arm back to punch Pucey. Adrian winced, already waiting for it.

“Now, Flint. Let’s not get kicked out,” Higgs said, already on his feet and moving to grab Marcus’ arm.

“You hit her with a bludger?!” Marcus roared, ignoring Higgs.

“She didn’t pass out or anything! But maybe broke her nose,” Pucey whimpered. Marcus’ nostrils flared. 

“YOU BROKE HER NOSE?!"

“Calm down!” Higgs shouted.

“It was an accident, I swear! I didn’t think she’d jump in front of it!” 

Marcus froze, his arm still pulled back while Pucey was cowered over, his arms thrown over his head. 

She jumped in front of it? A bludger that was headed for Wood. She had jumped in front of a bludger heading for Wood. His arm fell to his side as he dropped down in the chair, thinking over it. Would Lottie jump in front of bludger for him? Did this mean she cared for Wood more than him? Part of him thought perhaps she was just the sort who would do that for anyone, but there was already enough insecurity there that Marcus wondered if the act meant more.

“Looks like you’re not the only one who wants to throttle Pucey,” Warrington said with a sigh. Marcus looked over, seeing an irate Wood moving through the crowd towards them. He sighed heavily and then stood from the table.

He needed to head him off before there really was a brawl. While Pucey had acted like an idiot, he would take care of him, not Wood.

Marcus started pushing his way through people, wondering just why it was so crowded on a Monday night. He managed to break through to a pocket just in front of the bar but realized he had lost Wood. He stopped and looked around.

“Yea, so I just started at the Ministry… Auror department…”

Marcus glanced to his right, trying to find who was speaking. He wasn’t sure why he cared, but he recognized an American accent. And well, Lottie was an auror. Who had just moved back from America.

“You’re from MACUSA? Why’d you move here?”

“Got a bit of unfinished business with my ex. She’s an auror. From around here.”

“Yea? I’m mates with several. Maybe I know her.”

“Name’s Lottie Bell.”

Marcus froze, zeroing in on where the voice was coming from. He saw a tall, lean blonde bloke leaning against the bar, downing a shot of firewhiskey. Ex? Lottie?

“Ah, Bell. Take it you also met her brother, then?”

“The blockhead? Yea, I met him. I’m not worried.”

“Should be.”

“Please, I just need to get Lottie alone. She can’t resist me.”

What the fucking hell?

“Flint.”

~~~

Oliver stopped when he saw Flint standing in front of the bar, staring at something, an odd look on his face. He was going to give Pucey a piece of his mind, but he figured he should address the issue with Flint directly, seeing as he probably told Pucey to be there anyway.

He walked up to him, pushing through the last few people standing in front of him.

“Flint,” he said roughly. Flint turned to look at him and then grabbed his arm, pulling him towards him. “What the hell?”

“Shh! Listen,” Flint said and then jerked his head to his side. Oliver frowned and looked towards the bar.

“God, I mean, don’t get me wrong, she’s a great auror, but completely clueless when it comes to guys. It’s so easy to play her,” a blonde guy said. Oliver frowned and looked at Flint. Why did he care what the man was talking about?

“He’s talking about Lottie,” Flint said, still staring at the back of the man’s head. Oliver’s eyes widened and then he whipped his head over, stepping a bit closer so he could hear more.

“But… _you_ followed her here,” another man asked. The first snorted.

“Like I said, not done with her yet,” he replied, grinning. There was something in the tone of his voice that didn’t set right with Oliver. Just who was this prick?

Oliver met Flint’s gaze, the two of them clearly thinking the same thing. Someone needed to teach this bloke a lesson. And that was that no one got away with messing with Lottie.

“Temporary truce?” Flint asked. Oliver nodded.

“Let’s go introduce ourselves,” he replied. Flint’s lips curled up into a wicked grin, the Slytherin coming out. Oliver couldn’t help but think that this was the perfect moment for it. Flint turned and started towards the man at the bar, Oliver following. The two easily pushed the two people on either side of him out of the way, both of them towering over the auror, whatever his name was.

“‘Scuse you,” he said, frowning up Flint and then over at Oliver. 

“Hello,” Flint said casually flagging down the barkeep. “Three firewhiskies, please. New mate needs a proper welcome to London.” The barkeep raised an eyebrow, looking at Flint and then Oliver. He then sighed and shook his head, moving to pour the glasses. 

“Just moved here, then?” Oliver asked, pulling up to his full height. The auror looked over at him, confused as to what was going on. 

“Yea,” he said.

“American, is it?” Flint asked.

“From New York. Look, do I know you?” the auror asked. The barkeep slid the glasses across the bar. Flint took his and then passed one on to Oliver. The old man chuckled at the question.

“You must not know your quidditch,” he replied. “This here’s Oliver Wood, keeper, and Marcus Flint, chaser, for Puddlemere United.” He walked off, still chuckling.

“Quidditch players?” the auror asked. 

“Some of the best in the league,” the man he had been speaking to before said, popping his head around Oliver. The keeper gave him a dark look and the man jumped and moved away, sensing he wasn’t welcomed.

“Well, thanks for the drink,” the auror said, picking up his glass. “Aiden Crestwater. New team leader in the auror department at the Ministry of Magic.”

“So, we heard,” Oliver said, lifting his glass to his lips. Merlin, this bloke seemed full of himself. How could Lottie ever be interested in someone like him?

“Also heard you say a few things about Lottie Bell,” Flint said casually. “What’s your business with her?” Aiden looked back and forth between the two. 

“Why do you care?” he asked before starting to chuckle. “Let me guess, you friends with her brothers or something? They send you?”

“Or something,” Oliver said. “And no. We’re here of our own accord.”

“What’s this about not finished with her yet?” Flint asked, turning to face the auror, his dark eyes holding a sinister glint to them. The auror stared at him a moment and Oliver swore he saw him gulp slightly. Flint glanced over at Oliver, the corners of his mouth twitching. The keeper took another drink, feeling it was better than laughing at the poor bloke.

He had a feeling the chaser was just getting warmed up.

~~~

“Not sure what you think you heard,” Aiden said, frowning up at Marcus. The chaser chuckled looking over at Wood.

“You hear this, Wood? He thinks we must be deaf. Or maybe he thinks us a pair of _blockheads_ ,” he said. 

“Oh, that’d be making a mistake,” Wood said, his brogue getting a bit heavier. The auror turned to look at him, though sized him up.

Marcus had to admit that they made an imposing pair. Both were taller and much broader than the auror. If it came down to a physical fight, there was no doubt who would win. And while Aiden was an auror and skilled at dueling - had to be if he were to make it out of the training academy - Marcus and Wood had fought at the battle of Hogwarts and could likely take him on, should it come to that. 

“These two are war heroes too,” the barkeep said in passing. “Fought in the Battle of Hogwarts.” Aiden looked at him and then glanced at Wood first then Marcus. The chaser couldn’t help but roll his shoulders and scowl down at him. The flicker of fear came back into his eyes. Marcus couldn’t help but feel a bit smug. But then the fear was gone and a smooth smile came over Aiden’s face.

“If you think you can get me to stay away from her, you’re in for a surprise,” Aiden said, the cocky tone coming back into his voice as he faced the bar, taking a drink. “Lottie can’t resist me.” Marcus met Wood’s eyes, raising an eyebrow at him.

“That so?” he asked. “You hear that, Wood?”

“I did, Flint,” Wood replied. “I beg to differ.”

“Same,” Marcus said. “You see, the Lottie we know would never go back to a wanker like yourself.”

“Absolutely not,” Wood added. “Got a higher class of taste.” 

“And she is very, very well loved in these parts,” Marcus said, looking back down at the auror as he took a step closer to him. Wood did the same on the other side. 

“Look around the bar, mate,” Wood said, getting into his face. “You’re on Lottie’s turf.” The auror glanced around. Marcus wasn’t sure how or why, but their friends had walked up, probably to see what was going on. Weasley, Jordan, Warrington, Higgs and Pucey stood just behind them, looks of concern on their faces. The auror turned back to the bar, where the barkeep stood, his arms crossed with his sleeves rolled up, revealing several large magical tattoos. He had a cold glare on his face.

“We take care of our own,” Marcus said.

“You so much as think of approaching Lottie, we’ll hear about it. And trust me, if you think her brothers are bad, you don’t want to mess with us,” Wood said, his voice low and menacing. Marcus was a bit impressed. Wood _could_ be intimidating off the pitch, it seemed. Aiden looked around again, then downed his firewhiskey.

“Thanks for the drink,” he muttered before turning and pushing his way through the crowd towards the door of the pub. 

Marcus looked over, meeting Wood’s eyes. The keeper’s mouth twitched before he grinned. 

“Nice work, Wood,” Marcus said. “Didn’t know you could be frightening like that when you’re not in the air.”

“Not bad yourself, Flint,” Wood replied. “Though suppose that’s just normal for you.” He held his glass up and Marcus clinked his against it before they both drank. 

“You know the truce ends now,” he couldn’t help but say. 

“I know. But nice working with you,” Wood replied with a small smile before turning and walking back to his table, a confused Weasley and Jordan following him.

“What was that?” Higgs asked, walking up to him. Marcus sipped his drink and turned to his friends.

“Just looking out for Lottie,” he said. He looked at Pucey.

“Swear, I won’t do a damn thing unless you ask me to,” he said immediately, his hands up. 

“Good,” Marcus grunted before finishing his firewhiskey. “I’m off.”


	14. The Aiden Problem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lottie has to figure a way to deal with the abrupt appearance of her ex in her life again, all the while figuring out whether to choose Oliver or Marcus. Then her brothers decide weigh in... again.

**The Aiden Problem**

Lottie sat at her desk going over reports but could feel eyes on her. She sat up and looked around, noticing that everyone seemed to be minding their own work. But then she looked to the other side of the office and met light blue eyes and immediately tensed. 

Aiden flashed her a smile before turning back to his own work. She couldn’t help but narrow her eyes and then huff as she turned back to her own desk, angrily turning a page in the file.

“Something the matter?” Potter asked.

“Nothing,” Lottie said sharply. Potter didn’t respond for a few moments.

“We can-”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Lottie snapped, looking up at him. He raised his eyebrows and then smiled slightly.

“I’m sorry, it’s not funny. But that look… with the… I’m sorry, it’s not funny,” he said, looking back down at the parchment in front of him, somehow managing to stifle his chuckle. Lottie sighed heavily and shook her head. She looked down at the parchments in front of her and then back up at Harry. 

“Come on, Potter,” she said standing and grabbing her leather jacket from the back of her chair.

“Where are we going?” he asked, looking up at her.

“Out.”

~~~

Lottie hunched her shoulders slightly against the brisk fall wind, glancing around the street, though otherwise not drawing attention to herself. Potter kept in step with her, also glancing around.

“Just where are we going?” he asked.

“Last place Wickers was seen,” Lottie said, turning down Knockturn Alley. Harry didn’t say anything more, just followed her. After a few minutes he finally spoke up.

“But… he was last seen here weeks ago,” he said. “And we’ve already questioned everyone at the pub and surrounding stores.

“I know, but… needed to get out of the office,” Lottie said. “And I think we missed something.” She came to a stop and looked towards the pub where the wizard had been seen. They had questioned the barkeep and various others that had supposedly been there the night in question, but no one had said anything, either terrified of the bastard or secretly protecting him. 

She then looked around the street at the various shops and passers-by. She and Harry were garnering a bit of attention, though she figured it was mostly Harry. For the most part, he seemed to be ignoring it as was she. She then looked up, seeing an elderly face peeking out from behind a curtain. It then went shut. Lottie frowned, finding the light, paisley pattern out of place in the dark space. 

“Follow me,” she said, starting across the street to a door. In that moment, she was fully focused and had a hunch that the next piece of the puzzle they were looking for was with the woman behind the curtain. A woman that they had missed in their earlier sweep.

Lottie ran up the stairs and stopped, looking towards the door that she assumed led to the streetside flat. She then walked over and knocked, Harry just behind her. A few moments passed before the door cracked open an inch and a sliver of a weathered face and silver hair was visible.

“What you want?” a gravelly voice asked. 

“We’re from-”

“Don’t care, what you want?” the voice repeated. Lottie took a deep breath and stared back at the women, keeping a stern look, though not looking too threatening.

“I want to know what you saw from your window three Thursdays passed,” she said.

“What makes you think I saw something?” the woman replied.

“Because you were watching us fairly closely. Suspect you watch everything that happens on this street. How long have you lived here?” Lottie asked, staring straight into her faded blue eye. The woman regarded her a few moments and then looked over towards Harry. She then looked back at Lottie. 

“What’s your name, love?” she asked, her voice a bit softer.

“Lottie. Lottie Bell.”

“Take my advice, Lottie, you don’t want to mess with him,” the woman replied, her voice dropping slightly and a hint of fear entering the visible eye. “E’s bad news… lot’s of folks around ‘ere don’t want to cross ‘im. You cross ‘im and you’ll get much worse than those bruises you already got.”

“He’s hurt a lot of people, ma’am. We need to bring him in,” Lottie said firmly. “Whether or not you help, we’re going to keep looking for him. And we’re going to bring him in.” Lottie took a step back and started to turn away. Harry had a confused look on his face but followed her lead. They had made it halfway to the stairs before there was a heavy sigh.

“Just got the kettle on. Come in.” 

Lottie grinned and winked at Harry before adopting a neutral expression and then turning back to see the woman had opened the door wide enough so they could enter. She was wearing a faded cotton dress and had several shawls wrapped around her frail shoulders. A cat was standing near her feet, watching them. 

“Thank you, Miss…”

“Mrs. Cavendish. Now ‘urry and get in ‘ere before the tea gets cold.”

~~~

“Well, I call that a rather successful outing,” Lottie said, smiling as she and Harry walked down the main street of the Alley. 

“Only took two pots of that odd-tasting tea, a million random stories, and three hours to get it,” Harry replied with a sigh. He looked down at his clothing. “I’m never going to get rid of this cat hair. Already did about five cleaning charms and I’m still coated in it.”

“They weren’t all random. And loads of details in there,” Lottie said, glancing at him. “We should look into that old girlfriend of his from Hogwarts that she mentioned.”

“You think she’d help him? It’s been years,” Harry replied. Lottie shrugged and looked back to the street. 

“It’s a name we didn’t have before. And you’d be surprised just how strong a school romance can be,” she said with a sigh. “Worth looking into at the least. We’ve exhausted his known contacts and his family isn’t helping him. But someone is. He can’t have stayed hidden this long without it.” 

Harry studied her a few moments, finding she seemed in a better mood than before. 

“Right, so what’s the story with Crestwater?” he asked. Lottie stopped and looked over at him, her eyebrows raised. “If we’re going to be partners, and he’s now working here, you at least should tell me why you and Bernard hate him so much.” Lottie rolled her eyes and started walking again.

“We were partners in MACUSA. And then after a couple years… things got a bit more… serious,” she said. “We dated awhile. Broke up after he took credit for work I did on a few cases. Then I found out the tosser had been stealing credit for _all_ my work and used it to get a promotion that I had been working towards.” Harry frowned.

“What? How?” he asked.

“He doctored the reports we submitted on our cases,” she said. “When he offered to turn them all in, I trusted him. Never even crossed my mind what he was doing.” She looked around the street, anywhere but at Harry.

“But… why did he come here?” Harry then asked. “If he took your promotion?”

“Beats me,” Lottie said. “I’d rather not find out. If anything, I’d rather he stay far from me. Which, thankfully, he seems to be doing.”

“Well, he won’t be doctoring reports here. If anything, the Ministry takes its paperwork rather seriously. Hard to get away with that sort of thing,” Harry replied. Lottie snorted and looked over at him.

“Never thought I’d be happy about triplicates,” she said, smiling. “Come on. Let’s get some food and then hit the records department.”

~~~

Lottie sighed as she slid into the booth and looked across the table at Charlie. He wore a shocked expression as he leaned over the table, likely trying to get a closer look at her face.

“Blimey, Char, how hard did the damn bludger hit you?” he asked. Lottie rolled her eyes. The bruising was fading fairly quickly thanks to the salve from Oliver. It already looked loads better, so she wasn’t sure why people were still making a deal out of it.

“Doesn’t hurt. Did you order?” she asked. 

“Yea, the usual,” Charlie said, leaning back. Two pints appeared in front of them and Lottie eagerly took hers. “You talk to him?”

“No,” Lottie said firmly as she glared down at her glass. “And I don’t intend to.”

“But don’t you want to know why he’s here?” Charlie pushed. Lottie looked up at him.

“If it’s got anything to do with me, I’d rather not give him the chance to enact whatever plan he’s got,” she replied.

“‘Course it’s got to do with you,” Charlie said with a snort. Lottie rolled her eyes and took another drink. 

“Well, he’s with another team, so I don’t have to worry about working with him, at least,” she said with a huff. 

“There’s that, at least,” Charlie said, smiling slightly. “How are things wit-”

“Lottie?”

Lottie froze slightly and then narrowed her eyes as she turned slightly in the booth and saw Aiden standing there. Fucking hell, was he following her? 

“What do you want?” she asked tersely.

“I was just hoping that we could talk,” he said. He looked over at her twin. “Good to see you again, Charlie.”

“Wish I could say the same,” Charlie said, his voice flat. Aiden then turned his eyes back to Lottie. 

“I think if you would just hear me out-”

“No. We’ve had this conversation before. I don’t want to hear your piss-poor excuses all over again,” Lottie said, straightening up and folding her arms across her chest.

“It wasn’t like that-”

“Oh look, brother. Weren’t we just wondering when we would run into dear, old Aiden?”

Lottie groaned and looked over to see Bernard and Adam walking up. Both wore rather dark smiles that only had her worried they were about to start a fight in the pub. 

“We were, weren’t we?” Adam replied. “He botherin’ you, Char?”

“Christ, would you two knock it off?” Lottie grumbled. “I was handling it on my own just fine.”

“Scamper off, little pup. She doesn’t want to talk to you,” Bernard said, stepping closer to Aiden and getting in his face, the smile never leaving though his eyes were cold. Aiden frowned at the two and then looked back at Lottie.

“What the fuck, Lottie? How many thugs do you have taking care of your dirty work?” he asked. Lottie started at that. What the hell was he talking about? “Never mind. I’m out of here.” He then walked off. 

“What was that about?” Lottie murmured. Before she could think about it too much, Adam shoved her aside and slid into the booth next to her while Bernard went to sit next to Charlie. “What are you two doing here? I thought I was just meeting Charlie and I don’t recall inviting either of you.” She looked at her twin.

“Don’t look at me. I didn’t tell them anything,” he said, his hands up in the air.

“Can’t keep secrets from us, Char,” Bernard said, grinning. “Should know that by now.” She rolled her eyes.

“Well, I don’t need you fighting my battles for me either,” she said pointedly. “No more. I can handle Aiden on my own.”

“Fine, we’ll lay off,” Adam said, grinning. That alone told Lottie that they had no intention of laying off. Of course, they wouldn’t. The words “lay off” didn’t exist in either’s vocabulary. But rather than fight with them, she reached for her glass. “Bruising is clearing up nicely.”

“No thanks to you,” Lottie muttered. 

“I did a fair job treating you, I’ll have you know,” Adam said, sitting up a bit straighter. “Not to mention, I stayed late on Friday for you. Was about to leave when you and the troll came in.” Lottie rolled her eyes. 

“Forgive me for not falling over in gratitude,” she said dryly. “Don’t you have a wife and children to get home to?”

“Mary knows I’m out spending quality time with my baby sister,” Adam said with a grin as he threw his arm around her shoulders. “You know despite everything, you love us.” 

“Debatable,” Lottie retorted. 

“You can’t blame us for trying to look out for you,” Bernard added. “Seeing as you tend to walk into trouble. Sometimes quite literally.” Lottie scowled at him. Though it softened a bit. 

She did love her brothers, as much as they aggravated her.

“There we are. Char’s smile that we all love. No matter what, we’ve got your back,” Adam said, squeezing her shoulder. 

“I know,” Lottie said, rolling her eyes. “Sometimes I wish a little less so.”

A few platters of food popped up on the table at that moment and Bernard ordered a couple of pints for him and Adam. The Bells settled into eating and chatting about their days. It was civilized, for them at least. No shouting. Yet. All it would take was for someone to start taking quidditch or…

“So, Char, you any closer to choosing a bloke?” Bernard asked. She sighed, figuring this would come up at some point. 

“None of your business,” she snapped. 

“Really don’t see why there’s any competition. I mean, it’s obvious that you and Wood are meant to be,” Adam said. “You fancied him at Hogwarts. Doodled ‘Lottie Wood’ on your parchments and such.”

“I did no such thing!” Lottie declared, her cheeks turning red.

“More importantly, why would you want to date a Slytherin?” Bernard added. “Especially one who used to call you Smelly Bells?”

“He’s chang-“

“What do you think, Charlie?” Adam asked, looking over at him and cutting off Lottie. Charlie studied Lottie a moment.

“I think Lottie should choose whoever she wants,” he said. “None of my business who she dates.” Bernard snorted.

“So, you’re okay with Flint as a brother-in-law?” he asked. Both Charlie and Lottie started laughing loudly.

“I’m not choosing a husband, Merlin!” Lottie shouted. 

“Cut her some slack. Lottie’s got a good head. She’ll figure it out,” Charlie said, smiling at her. “And after Aiden, I seriously doubt she’ll date another wanker. Can smell ‘em a mile away by this point.” Lottie smiled at him in gratitude. She then stole a chip from Adam’s plate. 

“Now… who you lot thinkin’ is going to win in the next matchup? Arrows or Wasps?” she said.

“Wasps,” Bernard and Adam said together. 

“You sure about that?” Charlie countered. Lottie grinned as she sat back and watched the debate unfold. 

Merlin, she was happy to be home.

~~~

“Okay, so you’ve got dates coming up this weekend with both again,” Penny said as Lottie settled on the sofa next to her. “Maybe we should set some judging criteria?”

“Right, I’ll just pull out a checklist in the middle of both dates,” Lottie replied wryly.

“I’m just trying to make this a bit easier for you,” Penny said. “And you are analytical.” 

“This is true,” Lottie said with a sigh.

“Right, so you know loads about Wood’s family, but you don’t know much of anything about Flint’s. Think you should get him to talk about that,” Penny said. “For Wood… hmm… get him to talk about more than quidditch.”

“We don’t _only_ talk about quidditch,” Lottie scoffed. Penny just gave her a lot. “Okay, noted.”

“Right, so. Differences,” Penny said. “Let’s start there.”

“Well… I feel as though Oliver already understands me. Has understood me for a long time,” Lottie said. “But… then again, Marcus is a fast learner. He took me to this wonderful little bistro. And no more clubs or anything. But…”

“What is it?” Penny asked, leaning towards her. 

“I actually kind of liked that he was getting me out of my comfort zone. Challenging me. Even if he didn’t realize that he was doing it,” Lottie continued. “And while Oliver has always seemed to understand me. Get me. I wonder if he might be too safe. If I would be… settling.”

Penny seemed to think this over. 

“Very valid points,” she finally replied. “You want to be with someone that makes you want to be a better version of yourself.”

“But then… with Oliver and his family, I already feel like I’m part of it. Oh, but then with Marcus, he doesn’t seem to have any family - at least he doesn’t mention them. I can’t help but feel that… I could be his family. That he needs me more than Oliver needs me,” Lottie said.

“Yea, but… do you feel that strongly about him?” Penny countered. “Is that because you genuinely care for him and want to be in a relationship with him or is it because you feel bad for him?” Lottie frowned.

“Good point,” she murmured.

“Okay, so far we’ve got the fact that you love Oliver’s family. He understands and gets you. He’s good at snogging. You have fun with him. And he gives you butterflies,” Penny listed out. “Then there’s Marcus, who is different and challenges you. Obviously listens and learns quickly. Also, a good snogger and butterflies.” 

Lottie groaned and dropped her face into her hands.

“This is impossible,” she moaned.

“You need a tie-breaker,” Penny said, starting to smile. Lottie looked up at her. “And don’t you dare dismiss it on principle. But you’re going to have to shag them both.” Lottie frowned. “Compatibility goes farther than just personalities, Lottie. What if you choose one and the sex is horrible? Then you get married and you’re stuck with horrible sex for the rest of your life.” Lottie only continued frowning at her, but there was a flicker of something in her eyes. “And surely one has _got_ to be better than the other in that regard.”

Lottie straightened up, the frown disappearing.

“I think you might be right,” she said, looking at Penny. Her best friend started grinning.

“Yes! Finally, ladies and gentlemen, Lottie has seen the light!” she shouted, throwing her arms up in the air in triumph. Lottie only chuckled at her. “Okay. This weekend. Make it happen and then we’ll reconvene and discuss.” Lottie just rolled her eyes.

“I’m going to hell,” she muttered.

“I’ll greet you there with a glass of wine,” Penny replied, grinning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Full confession - I did lift a lot of the conversation between Lottie and Penny at the end straight from the movie "This Means War," but honestly, it was rather funny in the movie and too good not to include something similar in this story...


	15. The Tie-Breaker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lottie goes out with Oliver and Marcus, determined to go through with the tie-breaker and finally make a decision.

**The Tie-breaker**

Oliver walked back into the living room to the check the clock for probably the 50th time in the last five minutes, then turned and walked back into the kitchen to make sure that it wasn’t about to go up in a glorious ball of flames.

He had been an idiot to think that he could do this. Make a whole dinner on his own that wouldn’t self-combust or end up killing whoever ate it. There was a reason he nearly failed potions. And it seemed that reason also extended to cooking. 

But Clara had assured him that he would do fine when she came by last night to teach him to make a simple meal for Lottie. It had taken a couple tries, but he had managed to get a decent dish by the end of it. It had left him feeling confident and sure that he wouldn’t accidentally poison Lottie tonight. But now he was having second thoughts.

He quickly took another drink of his beer then looked down at the instructions Clara had left with him. Written across the top was “DO NOT DRINK WHILE COOKING!” but he had ignored that. He needed liquid courage to get through this.

“Right then, about time for the next step,” he muttered as he picked up his wand and waved it. The pot of boiling pasta lifted itself and then dumped into a strainer in the sink, steam rising up. He smiled in triumph as the pasta rinsed itself and then floated over and dumped itself into the pan of simmering sauce. He picked up a spatula and began mixing it, starting to think that he could do this. 

At least it smelled good.

He then turned off the stove and cast a few heating charms before levitating a large bowl of salad and platter of bread, then led them to the dining table in the large living room and setting them down.

He once again looked at the time, noting she’d be here soon. Turning back to the table, he looked at the settings and then waved his wand, the candles lighting up. Glancing around the flat, he waved his wand again and the lights dimmed while soft music started playing. 

“See… I can be romantic,” he muttered to himself before walking back into the kitchen to retrieve a bottle of wine, sticking his wand in his pocket. Just as he was returning and placed it on the table, there was a knock at the door.

Taking a deep breath, he walked over and opened it, revealing a smiling Lottie on the other side holding a bottle of wine. His eyes widened slightly as he took in her body-hugging strappy dress. Her hair was down in loose waves and though she didn’t have much makeup on, what was there only enhanced her eyes and soft lips.

Merlin, how was he going to get through dinner keeping his hands to himself?

“You clean up well,” she said, stepping into the flat and looking around. Oliver shut the door, silently thanking Clara for helping him clean up as well. While he wasn’t a messy person, he did have a habit of leaving his quidditch gear all over the place. 

Lottie slowly walked around, taking in the vintage framed Puddlemere posters and various photographs of his friends and family up on the walls, as well as the large bookshelf. She stopped in front of it and turned to look over her shoulder at him.

“Didn’t realize you were such a big reader,” she said lightly before turning back to peruse the titles. 

“Not much to do during the off season,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. Lottie then turned and walked back to him, holding the bottle out, which he accepted. “It’s just about ready.” He then turned and disappeared into the kitchen.

Shit, why was he so nervous? Was it the fact they were alone in his flat? Or the way she was dressed? Or… Oliver stopped and shook his head, deciding it was best not to think about it. A clear head was needed right about now. He then pulled his wand out and sent the rest of the food to the table. When he walked out of the kitchen, Lottie was standing there with a small smile and two glasses of wine in her hands. She held out one to him.

“Thanks,” he said, taking it and a large drink. Her smile only grew as she took her own drink and turned the table.

“This looks amazing, Oliver. I thought you couldn’t cook,” she said, taking in the spread.

“Well… figured it was about time to learn,” he said, walking over and pulling out a chair for her. Lottie smiled as she raised her eyebrows.

“Clara help?” she asked. Oliver blushed slightly.

“Taught me a few things yesterday, but made all this on my own,” he replied, resisting the urge to puff out his chest slightly. 

“I think it’s wonderful,” she said, taking a seat. Oliver then moved to his chair and sat down as Lottie began to fill her plate. “Really. Better than I could do.”

“Sure you’re a decent cook if you give it a try,” Oliver said immediately. Lottie just shrugged as she lifted her fork to her mouth and took a bite. Her eyes closed for a moment.

“Merlin, this is really good.”

Oliver was sure his blush was deepening as she looked over at him. He couldn’t help but be a bit proud. He could cook after all. 

“How was work?” he asked before starting to dig into his own dinner.

“Good and bad,” Lottie said, her smile turning a bit tense. “Hitting more than a few roadblocks with my main case, but I think we’re about to break through. May have a substantial lead, though we’re still tracking it down.”

“Bernie not giving you much trouble?” Oliver asked. Lottie chuckled.

“Hovering as usual, but he’s not been so bad,” she said. “Think he’s finally starting to understand that I can take care of myself.” 

“Certainly, an improvement,” Oliver commented. Lottie nodded eagerly.

While light, the conversation continued on throughout the rest of dinner and then desert. Then finally while the dishes were doing themselves in the kitchen, Oliver and Lottie settled on the sofa in front of the fireplace, glasses of wine in hand with the bottle on the table. 

Oliver shifted slightly, all too aware of how close Lottie was sitting next to him and a bit nervous. He looked over at her, watching as she absentmindedly twirled a wave around her finger. Her face was calm, her lips turned up slightly. Once again, he wondered just what she was thinking.

If ever he had wished he took legilimency lessons, now would be it. 

“What’s on your mind, Lottie?” he asked softly, deciding it was best to just ask. She raised her eyebrows and looked over at him. A smile came over her face as she looked back at the fire.

“Just thinking about the day you helped me after the bludger… when my brother gave me that damn potion,” she said. “You knew, didn’t you?” Oliver chuckled.

“He didn’t tell me, but I figured it out,” he replied.

“You didn’t take advantage of it,” she said, fixing her dark blue eyes on him.

“Didn’t seem fair,” he said, feeling his heart speed up slightly with the look she was giving him. “You couldn’t help it.” 

“I appreciate it,” she said, looking down at her lap. He couldn’t tell with the firelight, but he was certain that she was blushing. 

“I only did what anyone else would do,” he replied. Lottie looked over at him, tilting her head to the side. 

“Is that the Gryffindor in you?” she asked, grinning slightly. Oliver chuckled.

“Could be?” he replied. “I’ve always tried to do what I thought was right.” Lottie was quiet a few moments. Oliver swallowed, wondering if he should say anything. He wanted to tell her exactly how he felt about her. How she made him feel. Beg her to choose him and not Flint. That he could make her so much happier than the ruddy Slytherin ever could.

But she didn’t know that he knew. And he wasn’t so sure that letting her know in this moment would be such a good idea. He worried how she might respond. And besides, this wasn’t about Flint. Right now, it was about him and Lottie. Nothing more. 

“What I said… I meant it, you know. Well, of course you know, that damn potion… but… thought it would be better if I said it when I’m in my own mind,” Lottie started. Oliver felt his heart speed up. “I do really like you, and… I appreciate how kind and understanding you were in school…” 

“So the bit about the crush was true as well, then?” he asked, smiling slightly and surprised with how emboldened he felt in that moment. She chuckled and nodded, looking away from him. “I wish I had known then… wouldn’t have wasted so much time…” Lottie looked over at him, her eyes wide. “I… didn’t really care much about anything but quidditch back then… sure I had my mates and all, but… It was all… focus on getting into the League. Made me miss something that could be so much more important… better…” 

Lottie didn’t say anything and appeared to be holding her breath. Oliver knew he needed to keep going, get it all out now before he lost his nerve. He put his glass on the table, then took hers and did the same. He then scooted a bit closer, taking both of her hands in his.

“I was a bit of an idiot back then, but I’ve learned from my mistakes and I’m not going to make them again,” he said softly. “You’re… amazing, Lottie… always have been. And now that we’ve found each other again… I’m not so keen on letting go of that… if you aren’t…”

Lottie just stared at him, once again, her face unreadable. For a moment, he worried that he had said something wrong or that this was too much, too soon. But then she started smiling and blinking quickly as though she were tearing up. Merlin, he hadn’t meant to make her cry.

“Oh, Oliver…” she breathed. 

That was all he needed. He leaned forward, capturing her lips in a kiss as his hand went to her cheek, caressing her soft skin. The kiss started out soft and timid, but then Lottie leaned towards him, her arms going around his neck.

Oliver would have thought he were flying if it weren’t for the feeling of Lottie in his arms. The kiss deepened as he pulled her closer, gripping her waist with one hand, while the other slid into her hair.

When Lottie pulled away from him, breathing heavily, she was now straddling his lap. 

Neither said anything as she bent down, kissing him again, her body brushing up against his. He wasn’t completely sure if this is how he expected the night to go - well, that was partially a lie, he had been hoping the night would go this way. But he wasn’t sure if it would. 

His lips left hers, trailing down her neck to her shoulder and he heard her gasp softly, starting to gently roll her hips against his. For a moment, he thought he saw stars. Merlin, she really was amazing. He met her eyes again and she attacked his lips, her tongue darting into his mouth. A soft moan rumbled in his chest as he wrapped his arms around her a bit more tightly, trying to pull her as close as he possibly could, before he ran one hand down her side to her thigh, slowing pushing up the soft material of her dress. 

But then, suddenly, she had pushed away, rolling off his lap to the sofa next to him, pushing her hair back from her face as they both breathed heavily. Oliver sat still a few moments, his brain trying to catch up. What had he done wrong? Shit, he knew he was pushing things forward too quickly. 

“I…”

“I’m sorry,” Lottie said quickly, looking over at him. “I just… I think I got ahead of myself there for a bit.”

“It’s okay,” Oliver said, trying to regain control of his body. “Don’t worry about it.” Lottie smiled at him. He wanted to reach out and touch her, to comfort her in some way, but he worried that she wouldn’t want that. Lottie then sighed and turned to him, wrapping her arms around him as she laid her head on his shoulder.

“Mind if we just… stay like this?” she asked softly. He couldn’t see her face but wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head.

“Yea, this is fine…”

~~~

Marcus stood in front of Lottie’s door, straightening his jacket. He knew that Pucey would likely be sore with him for this, but he didn’t really care at the moment. Yes, the restaurant was difficult to get reservations for and Pucey had gotten the owner season tickets to Kestral games just so Marcus and Lottie could go there tonight, but the more he thought about it, the more Marcus felt that it wasn’t right.

Wasn’t special enough.

So, he ditched those plans and had come up with his own. Spent the afternoon working on them. But even though he was confident, he still worried that it would backfire. That Lottie wouldn’t like it. But it was too late now. Or not. They could still make the reservation. No. If Marcus was going to win her over, he was going to do it his way. Not rely on his friends.

He reached up and knocked, then stepped back and waited. It only took a few moments before Lottie opened, her eyes taking in his suit.

“Let me get my things,” she said, stepping over and grabbing a purse and her wand, then sliding it in. She then stepped out and shut the door behind her. “So… just where are you taking me that involves dressing up?”

“Do you trust me?” he asked, holding his arm out. Lottie looked at his arm and then back up into his eyes. She nodded.

“Yes,” she said, taking hold of his arm.

“Hold on, then…”

When they both opened their eyes, a crisp fall breeze welcomed them. Marcus looked down, seeing the surprised expression on her face as she looked around.

“Is this… are we at Puddlemere stadium?” she asked, looking up at him. He nodded and started leading her across the pitch. In the middle was a large blanket on the ground with pillows, surrounding by enough floating candles to light up the small space. There was also a large picnic basket and a few more blankets if either of them got too cold. “Did you… did you do this?”

“Was here setting it up for a bit before I came to get you,” he said. Lottie chuckled as she looked around and up at the stands and then the hoops on either end of the pitch. “I heard that you’ve been a bit of a Puddlemere fan for a long time.”

“I have,” she replied, still looking around in awe. “Never seen the pitch from this view though.” She looked up at him. “This is amazing, Marcus.” He bent down and kissed her cheek. 

“I hoped you would like it,” he said softly. He then led her to sit down on the blanket, before sitting next to her and opening the basket. He started pulling out containers of the food he had spent all afternoon making. While he wasn’t a five-star chef, Marcus was rather proud of his cooking skills. It was one of the first things he had taught himself when he left home, not wanting to survive on takeout or starve. 

Lottie just silently took everything in, a small smile on her face. He finally finished setting out the food and then pulled out a bottle of champagne and two glasses. Lottie laughed softly.

“Even on a picnic, you keep your high-class taste,” she said, an eyebrow raised. 

“Well… when you’ve got good taste,” he said before popping the cork. He then poured the two glasses and handed one to Lottie before taking a sip of his own. Despite his rather calm exterior, he was nervous. For her part, Lottie seemed as calm as ever, starting to eat. He sat a few moments, just watching her react to everything.

“Merlin, Marcus. You could open your own restaurant,” she exclaimed, looking over at him. 

“Not sure I’m _that_ good,” he said with a chuckle before popping a bit of food into his mouth. 

“You are constantly surprising me, Mr. Flint,” Lottie said lightly. “In all the best ways.” He couldn’t help the warmth that spread throughout him as he relaxed. She liked the picnic. He had made the right choice. He had never put himself out there for a woman like this before and he was glad that at least it wasn’t backfiring. 

They talked a bit about the season and Lottie’s work as they ate, but as they were starting on dessert, Lottie went quiet and looked down at her glass, a pensive look on her face. It was so sudden that Marcus began to frantically go over everything that he had said. What did he do to upset her?

“Marcus, I want to ask you something… but you don’t have to answer if it’s too uncomfortable,” she started. Marcus didn’t say anything, just nodded. “When you were recovering from the potion… you said something…” She looked up at him. “Be glad that you’re not alone…” He gulped. Fuck. He didn’t remember saying that. He remembered saying something about her brothers. What was it? “Do you truly feel alone? I mean, you never talk about your family...”

He took a deep breath and slowly let it out. He knew that this would come up eventually, but he hadn’t expected to talk about it this soon with her. He downed the rest of the champagne in his glass, wishing he had something a bit stronger. 

“You know that my family is pureblood,” he said, figuring that was as good as any place to start. “My parents were very large believers in blood purity and all that shite. I never really thought much of it, to be honest, but went with it because they did…” He kept his eyes trained on the picnic basket, not wanting to see any of her reactions. 

“I, ehm, I had an older brother. He was several years older and brought up to be the heir and all… The perfect pureblood son. I was just the spare, so they never really paid much attention to me. Then… I started acting out, trying to do whatever I could to get that attention,” he continued. “Doesn’t really excuse how I acted in school, but it got them to at least acknowledge they had another son.” He ventured a look over at Lottie, finding her sitting there with her brow furrowed. But there was no pity in her eyes. 

“My brother wasn’t as bad. But he was a lot older than me. Didn’t have much time for an annoying little brother trying to tag along while he was being groomed to take over the family business and Flint name,” Marcus said with a dark chuckle as he looked away.

“You said had,” she replied softly.

“Yea… he got mixed up in… all that… My parents never officially joined, but they were proud when he did. I…” he stopped for a moment, furrowing his brow, “by that time, I knew enough that I didn’t want to get involved, but… that was pretty much cemented when he died when I was 20. I had already started in the League, but still lived at home. Moved out as soon as I heard and decided that not only was I not joining, but I wanted to fight against the bastards that got my brother killed.” 

“How did he die?” Lottie asked softly.

“Don’t really know. Some mission for the _Dark Lord_ ,” he said bitterly, looking up at the night sky. “I didn’t really stick around to hear the details. Not with the way my bloody parents were getting on about it.” 

He felt a small pressure on his arm and looked over, seeing Lottie had moved closer to him, her blue eyes fixed on him. He had expected to see pity there. Which is why he didn’t want to tell her this story - if he was going to win her heart, he didn’t want to use his tragic sob story to get it. 

But there was something different in her eyes. It was… understanding. 

“Penny said that you were at Hogwarts that night,” she said softly. He nodded. 

“It was the right thing to do,” he replied. Lottie studied him, tilting her head to the side. 

“I always thought it was arrogance,” she finally said. “Back in school. But looking back, I can see it now… hindsight always was 20/20… you were just as lost as the rest of us.” Marcus swallowed. He didn’t like feeling vulnerable - never had and typically avoided it at all costs. But there was something about the way Lottie was looking at him that made him feel it wasn’t so bad that she knew. She had shared her own secret, after all.

They weren’t so different, he realized. Sure, she had come from a large, loving and supportive family while he had not. But they both had their own demons to fight. And they both came out stronger - better - on the other side. 

Lottie leaned closer to him, pressing her lips against his, before leaning back.

“Like I said that night - you’re not alone, Marcus,” she nearly whispered. “You’ve got your friends, your team. You’ve got me. I’m not going anywhere.” He reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

“I still can’t seem to understand why you’d even give me the time of day,” he replied, smiling slightly. Lottie returned the smile with her own.

“We’re not the same people we used to be.”

Marcus leaned forward and kissed her gently, still not quite believing that she was there with him. That she hadn’t judged or pitied him. Given him a chance, one that he sometimes wondered if he deserved. But at the same time, he didn’t want to think about any of that. He wanted to focus on the here and now and what was happening in that moment.

As Lottie deepened the kiss, Marcus found all thoughts of his past, his family, even Wood, fading into the background. There was an underlying firmness to the kiss, as though she was trying to make the point that she was there. That she really wasn’t going anywhere. She placed her hands on his chest, before gently pushing his jacket off him then pushed him back until she was lying on top of him. He ran his hands up and down her sides as the kiss picked up pace, Lottie’s hand coming to rest on his cheek.

Marcus was more than happy to let her set the pace, lead things forward. 

But then she stopped kissing him, staring deep into his eyes as they both breathed heavily. He felt as though she were looking into his soul. She then rolled off of him, lying on her back as she stared up at the sky. For a moment, he was confused as to why she had stopped. From the fleeting expression on her face, it appeared that she was battling something in her mind.

It was then that Marcus remembered Wood. 

“I’m sorry,” she said finally. “Let myself get away there for a bit.” 

“It’s… fine,” he replied. She looked over at him.

“You’re a good man, Marcus. Never forget that,” she said. He didn’t say anything, just nodded. Lottie then snuggled up to his side, resting her head on his shoulder as he wrapped his arms around her. 

He decided then that he was happy just so long as she was in his arms.

~~~

“Good gods, what happened?” Penny exclaimed as she rushed through the front door and wrapped her arms around Lottie. She didn’t think she looked that bad, but perhaps she did. She had just had a good cry and was still in her pyjamas though it was 8 o’clock on Sunday night.

She saw Katie’s worried look just over Penny’s shoulder and then stepped back, allowing the two to walk in before shutting the door.

“Brought out the firewhiskey… looks like we’ve got a fair bit to discuss,” Penny said as she and Katie walked over to the living room. Lottie walked around them and sat on the sofa, picking up her glass and taking a large swig.

“I am totally and utterly fucked,” she declared. 

“Is this because you slept with both of them?” Penny asked with a smirk, taking a seat next to her.

“You did what?” Katie exclaimed as she sat in a nearby armchair.

“Tie-breaker,” Penny said, still watching Lottie.

“I chickened out. With both of them,” Lottie said, staring into the flames in the fireplace. 

“But… why?” Penny nearly shouted. 

“Couldn’t do it,” Lottie said before taking another drink. “Just… when came down to it, didn’t seem right. Though I did spend the night with both of them. Fell asleep on Oliver’s sofa talking. Then fell asleep on the pitch at Puddlemere talking with Marcus.”

“Wait, what?” both Penny and Katie said at the same time. 

“I don’t know how I’m going to choose,” Lottie continued, ignoring their outbursts. “I’m going to hell for this.”

“Okay, you’re not. Though as I said, I’ll likely be right there with you if you do, but… what happened?” Penny asked. Lottie looked over at her.

“They’re both… I don’t know,” she groaned. She put the glass down and threw herself into the cushions on her sofa. “I can’t do this! I’m breaking up with both of them!”

Penny met Katie’s eyes, both of them slightly unsure of what to say or do. But then Katie’s eyes widened and she smiled slightly.

“I have an idea,” she said quickly. Lottie looked up at her, her hair falling out of her ponytail. “I think you just need… time away from… this. Get some perspective.” 

“How do you propose I get some perspective?” Lottie asked, sniffing.

“Girls’ night,” Katie said. 

“No,” Lottie stated before throwing herself back into the cushions. 

“Not out at a bar or club. We could all get together at mine and Alicia’s. Or better yet, Angelina’s - hers is bigger and she just got this new wireless. Just a night in with the ladies, drinking and such. If you want, you can get their opinions. Or we don’t have to talk about it,” Katie continued. 

Lottie was quiet a few moments, thinking it over. She then sat up again and looked at her cousin and then over at Penny. Both were wearing hopeful expressions.

“Yea…,” she finally said. “Okay. Yes. I think that’s what I need.”

“Good,” Penny said, patting her on the leg. “See… everything is going to be fine.” 

“Right. Everything is fine…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this one gets a little bit serious... but more fun stuff coming!


	16. Best Laid Plans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What was supposed to be a night in with the ladies turns into something completely different...

**Best Laid Plans**

“It’s been forever since we had a night like this,” Katie said excitedly as she and Lottie made their way down the hallway towards Angelina’s flat, their arms laden with bags of snacks and alcohol, along with their overnight bags. 

The plan was to have an old-fashioned slumber party and Lottie had been looking forward to it all week, deciding that she needed a weekend off from worrying about Marcus, Oliver and Aiden. Penny was to meet them there a bit later, having to work late.

“I really need this,” Lottie said while smiling. “Thanks, Kates.”

“Always looking out for my favorite cousin,” the blonde replied with a grin.

“I won’t tell Adam and Bernard,” she replied. Katie snorted. 

“Tell them all you want,” she retorted. They came up to the door and stopped, already hearing music coming from within. Katie shifted the bags and then knocked. They waited a few moments and then the door flew open. Angelina stood there, a pained expression on her face. 

“I swear, I tried to make them leave,” she said quickly. 

“What?” Katie asked, confused. Angelina just sighed and stepped back, motioning them inside. Both Lottie and Katie walked in and then froze, seeing the decent-size flat full of people. 

“What the hell?” Lottie murmured. She had been expecting a girls’ night, but this was a full-blown party. Both women looked at Angelina, who was chewing on her bottom lip. 

“I don’t know how this happened - I didn’t invite them or even tell them what was going on. But then more and more showed up and… I’m so sorry,” she said. Lottie smiled tightly and shook her head.

“It’s fine. I know it’s not your fault,” she said. “Where do you want all this?”

“Here, we’ll take it,” Angelina said, motioning Alica over. The two women took the bags from them and started towards the kitchen. “You can put your things in my room.” 

Lottie looked over at Katie.

“Well then… Suppose as long as I can get roaring drunk, the night is not lost,” she said with a sigh. The two walked to Angelina’s room, depositing their overnight bags and jackets, then walked back out into the living room.

“Lottie,” Oliver said, walking up to her with two cups in his hand. “Thought I saw you walk in.” Lottie smiled at him and took the offered cup. 

“Thanks,” she said before taking a drink and sure that her face was bright red. While things hadn’t been that awkward when she left his place last weekend, she had been slow to reply to his owls all week, torn over what to do.

“Work keeping you busy this week?” he asked.

“Yea. Made some headway on the dark wizard,” she said. 

“Brilliant,” Oliver replied, grinning at her. “Sure you’ll be the one to bring him in.” 

“Well, helps that I’ve got a good partner,” she said. 

“Don’t downplay yourself. We both know how hard you’re working on it,” he said. “Potter’s good and he helps, but it’s part your effort as well.” Lottie smiled in appreciation and nodded. 

“Yea, you’re right, I reckon,” she said. She glanced around the flat, seeing a fair amount of her old schoolmates. “Feel like this is a Hogwarts reunion.” 

“Might as well be,” Oliver said with a chuckle. 

“And how is our favorite auror?” George said, popping up next to them. He looked over at Oliver and then back at Lottie, a bright grin on his face. 

“Good. Busy,” she said, now sure that the party had been George’s doing. “How’s the shop?”

“Always busy, as it should be,” he said, his eyes twinkling. She looked over at Oliver, noting that he seemed just as suspicious as she did. “Flint! Glad you could make it!” 

Lottie’s heart stopped as she looked over at the door, seeing a surprised Flint standing there with a bottle of wine in his hand. He was looking directly at her and Oliver. 

“Bugger,” she murmured. She quickly shot off to the kitchen, grabbing Katie on the way. 

“Ow, that hurts!” Katie yelped as Lottie turned around to face her.

“You didn’t know about the party?” she asked desperately. 

“No! I was just as surprised as you are!” Katie shouted. Lottie looked towards the entry to the living room and back at Katie. “What’s going on?”

“So, you didn’t know Oliver would be here? Or Marcus?” she asked. Katie just shook her head. “Knew it. Fucking George Weasley… But how did he know about Marcus? Did you tell Angelina??” Katie just sighed.

“Lottie… there’s something I should-”

“Lottie… why did you run off?” Marcus asked as he walked into the kitchen. Both Lottie and Katie whipped their heads over to look at him as he smiled awkwardly. He glanced at Katie. “Good to see you, Bell.”

“You too, Flint,” Katie squeaked. Lottie gave her an odd look. “I just need to… I’ll… bye.” Katie then shot out of the kitchen, leaving Lottie alone with Marcus. “You alright, Lottie?” She looked at him, completely at a loss as to what to say. 

Bloody hell, it was her worst nightmare come true. Stuck at a party with both Marcus and Oliver. There was no way she was going to get out of this without them finding out. Her heart sped up as it became slightly harder to breathe.

“Lottie…”

“I need some air,” she said quickly, dashing out of the kitchen. She stopped in the living room and looked around. She met Oliver’s eyes a moment and he started towards her. She then saw a glass door leading to a terrace. There. She started towards it.

“Lottie.”

Lottie stopped and closed her eyes, grimacing. Fucking, bloody hell. Could this night get any worse? She opened her eyes and slowly turned, seeing Aiden standing there, a fair amount of the party now watching them. Oliver and Marcus, she could understand, but Aiden? How had George found out about him? She was going kill him with her own two hands when this was over with.

He walked towards her, smiling. But was immediately cut off by Oliver and Marcus. Lottie frowned. What the hell were they doing?

“What did we tell you?” Marcus growled.

“You’re meant to stay away from her,” Oliver added. Lottie’s mouth dropped open in shock. What was happening? How did they know Aiden? When had they spoken to him? Then she realized none of that mattered right now.

She could take care of Aiden on her own.

She quickly walked up and pushed the two aside, glaring at one and then the other before turning to Aiden. She would deal with them later.

“What do you want?” she asked sharply, crossing her arms in front of her.

“Could we talk?” he asked softly, reaching out to touch her. She stepped back from him, just out of his reach.

“No. I don’t have anything more to say to you,” she said coldly, not caring that they were causing a scene. “What are you doing here?”

“I just want to talk,” he said, his brow furrowed. “I’ve missed you-”

“Yea, well, I moved back to England to get away from _you_ ,” she retorted. Aiden winced. 

“I know we had a bit of a misunderstanding-”

Lottie’s harsh laughter cut him off. He stood there, a look of confusion on his face. 

“You fucking wanker,” she said. “A misunderstanding?! You bloody stole my job! A job that you knew I had been working up to for years! And after all that shite about not caring for promotions and just wanting to do what was right! You fucking _lied_ to me through your teeth!”

“I thought we were passed-”

“No, I’m not fucking passed it! What?! Did you seriously move all the way over here just because you _missed_ me? Because you thought that we could be together again?! Or did MACUSA finally realize that you’re a shite auror and fired your arse, so you thought maybe if you came here, you could pull off the same stunt?!” she shouted. Aiden didn’t respond, which only confirmed Lottie’s suspicions. 

“Well, then… you can just fuck off!” she shouted.

“If you would just hear me out-”

“I SAID FUCK OFF!” Lottie shouted again, her eyes blazing in anger. Aiden stared at her and then his face hardened.

“Fine,” he said before turning and walking out of the flat. Lottie sighed heavily and then rubbed her temples. Merlin, she needed a drink. But first she had something else to deal with. She turned, leveling Oliver and then Marcus in a scowl.

“What was that?” she snapped. 

“Well, ehm… may have ran into Aiden at the pub,” Oliver said, shoving his hands into his pockets and looking down at his feet.

“Spouting off a load of bollocks about you,” Marcus continued.

“Couldn’t let that stand,” Oliver added, looking up at her.

“So, we may have told him to stay away,” Marcus finished. Lottie stared at the both of them and then groaned loudly.

“I already have two older brothers and I do _not_ need two more!” she shouted. “What’s more, you both know how much I hate my brothers fighting for me!”

“Right, probably wasn’t a smart move. I’m sorry,” Oliver said quickly. Marcus glared at him and then looked back at Lottie.

“We just wanted to help,” he said.

“I DON’T NEED YOUR HELP!” Lottie shrieked. “WHAT WERE YOU EVEN DOING TOGETHER IN THE FIRST PLACE!” Neither answered at first and that’s when the realization hit her. Her eyes widened as her mouth dropped open and her heart stopped a moment.

Holy, fucking Merlin and all the Hogwart founders. They knew. 

She looked from Oliver to Marcus and then did the first thing that popped into her head. She turned and fled from the flat.

Both men looked at each other, unsure of what to do next. 

“Care for a drink, Wood?” Marcus finally said.

“Suppose so,” Oliver replied.

~~~

Katie nearly couldn’t believe the showdown in Angelina’s living room. She was already starting to move towards Angelina’s bedroom to fetch her and Lottie’s things, then head over to Lottie’s. 

“Well… expected a blowout, but that was not the blowout I was expecting” she heard, causing her to stop. She turned slowly, seeing George standing with Lee. Of course, she had figured out right away that this whole mess had Weasley written all over it, but she had yet to actually confront him about it yet.

“Did you invite the Yank?” Lee asked. “How did you even know about it?” George snorted.

“I had no part in that - didn’t even know he was here,” he replied. “I just made sure Oliver was here.”

“And I got Flint here,” Lee said, looking around the room. “But who invited the tosser?”

“What the actual fuck?!” Katie bellowed. The two men jumped and looked at her. “I should have known.” George smiled and shrugged. 

“Thought it might make things a bit more interesting,” he said. “And really, they all needed to confront each other…” Katie groaned. 

“Too far, George, too far,” she said. “She wanted a weekend away from blokes and for good reason!” 

“We didn’t invite what's-his-name! We swear!” George shouted. 

“Yea, but you stole our party _and_ invited Wood and Flint!” Katie shouted back. “Merlin! You’ll pay for this, both of you! But first, I’ve got to try and clean up some of your mess.” She then spun on her toes and stalked off. 

She needed to get to Lottie.

~~~

Oliver stood with Marcus, the two of them sipping glasses of firewhiskey. Both of them were getting a fair amount of looks. He wasn’t sure just how many people there knew what was really going on, but he figured it could have had more to do with the fact that the two of them nearly jumped the Yank before Lottie sent him off.

Merlin, he had never been prouder of her. Though he now worried that she would never speak to him again.

“You think she’ll be okay?” Flint asked, breaking the silence. Oliver looked over at him, seeing his own concern mirrored in his eyes. But there was also the same sense of awe there.

“I think so,” he replied. “Lottie’s a strong sort.”

“Bloody wanker, Aiden,” Flint growled. 

“Got that right,” Oliver said. They both were silent, staring at their drinks.

“You think she’ll talk to us again?” Flint then asked, his voice laced with worry.

“Dunno,” Oliver said with a sigh, wondering the same thing. There was a good chance they had just mucked things up.

“Reckon we should do anything?” Flint then asked. Oliver looked across the room, seeing Katie come out of Angelina’s room with two bags and start for the front door. Penny had just stepped in and looked around in confusion before seeing Katie. The blonde just grabbed her and yanked her back out of the flat.

“I think she’s in good hands for now. She’ll contact us if she wants to talk,” Oliver said. Flint nodded. 

“Fair enough.”

~~~

Lottie sat on her sofa, now dressed in a pair of sweatpants and an old Ravenclaw t-shirt. She brought the glass of wine to her lips and drank, then lowered it, her eyes not leaving the flames in the fireplace.

She felt rather weary, everything catching up with her. The last hour had been a fucking rollercoaster. Freaking out about Oliver and Marcus finding out about each other. Then dealing with Aiden. Then realizing that both Oliver and Marcus already knew about each other.

“It’s a fucking mess, is what it is,” she said softly to herself. 

“Lottie!”

She didn’t even bother turning around, recognizing Katie’s voice. She heard footsteps and then Katie and Penny stepped in front of her, the two of them wearing worried looks. 

“Katie told me what happened. Bloody job well done,” Penny said, smiling slightly. Lottie offered a weak smile. 

“Did she mention the part where both Oliver and Marcus were there and I realized that they already know about each other?” Lottie asked dryly before taking another drink. Penny looked over at Katie, who frowned. 

“I knew that they knew,” Katie said, closing her eyes and wincing, as though she was waiting for Lottie to yell at her.

“What? How?” Lottie asked, frowning at her. Katie opened her eyes and sighed. She then walked over and sat next to her on the sofa.

“First of all, they discovered at practice one day about a couple weeks ago,” she said gently. “But I knew before you told me… overheard you and Penny talking about in a bar, one night… Alicia and Angelina were with me.” 

Lottie stared at the glass in her hands, her eyes filling up with tears. She wasn’t sure why she was crying. Or what she was feeling at that moment. Actually, she knew a large part of it was embarrassment. And then a bit of anger.

“How many people know?” she asked.

“Well… us three… then Wood and Flint, George, Lee, not sure who Flint told, but I’m sure he told some of his mates,” Katie said. 

“So… most people,” Lottie said slowly. “Merlin, this whole time and they knew…”

“Apparently it’s sparked up a bit of a feud,” Penny said with a chuckle. Lottie looked up at her, her eyes wide. 

“Wait a minute, _you_ knew!? How long?” she demanded. 

“Since the day Aiden came back,” Penny stated. “Katie told me while you were in the loo. Thought it best to keep it from you at the time, since you were already in your head dealing with Aiden.” Lottie took a deep breath and slowly let it out.

“So… everyone knows… oh god,” she moaned, dropping her head in her hand. “This is so embarrassing.”

“Perhaps it’s a good thing,” Katie offered.

“They’re fucking fighting over me!” Lottie wailed. “That’s not what I wanted at all! I wanted… Merlin, I don’t know what I wanted… Why were they even there? It was supposed to be girls’ night!”

“You can thank George for that,” Katie said, now frowning. “Thought it would be funny to have them both there. Think he and Lee were hoping the two would start a brawl.” Lottie looked over at her, a realization hitting her.

“Oh my god… the potion at the restaurant… that was George,” she said. Katie frowned.

“Someone slipped something into Marcus’ drink. Broke out in boils and couldn’t stop farting for a few hours,” Penny explained. Katie nodded slowly. 

“He was trying to sabotage the date,” Lottie said. She went silent again, as though she was trying to figure something else out. “And then… at the match… oh gods. Pucey.”

“What about Pucey?” Katie asked. 

“I thought I saw Adrian Pucey there, but figured I must of been seeing things. But now it makes sense. He must have charmed the bludger. He was aiming for Oliver and then I jumped in the way,” Lottie said, the pieces falling together. “ _He_ was trying to sabotage our date as well… What neither of them realized is that it backfired…”

She went silent again as Penny and Katie watched her nervously. Suddenly, Lottie cracked a smile. A small bubble of laughter broke from her lips and then soon enough, she was laughing loudly, her arm wrapped around her stomach as she fell over onto her side. 

Katie looked over at Penny, her brow knit in confusion. 

“Are you alright?” Penny asked, stepping closer to Lottie. 

“Yes, I’m fine,” she said, still laughing as she reached up and wiped a tear from her eye. “Kates, be a dear and get the tequila. It’s the cabinet in the kitchen.” 

“Are you sure about that?” Katie asked.

“She’s finally cracked,” Penny added.

“I have not cracked,” Lottie said, sitting up and looking back and forth between the two. “Can’t you see the humor in this?” 

“I’ll admit, that’s not the reaction I was expecting,” Penny said, starting to smile. “But I’ll take it.” She looked over at Katie. “Go get the tequila.” 

Katie stood and left the room, a confused look still on her face. Lottie continued to chuckle.

“This is just… wow,” Lottie said. “They both knew for the last few weeks. I’m surprised they didn’t start fighting as soon as Marcus walked into the flat tonight.” 

“They were having a drink together when I got there,” Penny said, taking a seat. “Perhaps they are being gentlemen about this. Just their friends trying to muck things up.”

“All this drama because of me,” Lottie murmured, still laughing slightly. “Never thought I’d see the day.” Penny snorted. 

“Forget those gits, tell me in your own words what went down with Aiden,” Penny said, now grinning. 

“Oh, well that… that was something else,” Lottie said before emptying her wine glass and putting it on the table. Katie walked back in with the bottle and glasses, putting them down. 

“It was fucking brilliant,” she said, smiling. 

“Told him to fuck off,” Lottie said. “He said he came here because he missed me. Merlin, I don’t understand it. Got a nice job in MACUSA-”

“What was supposed to be your job,” Penny interrupted.

“Yea, and because of those bloody reports, I couldn’t get anything higher than a mid-level auror position here,” Lottie said. “But I told him that there was no chance.” 

“Should have seen Flint and Wood,” Katie said, pouring the glasses. “Looked like they were about to slug him. But then Lottie started wailing into him verbally and they just stood back, both wearing this look on their face like they thought she was the most amazing human to walk the earth.” 

Penny chuckled and shook her head.

“I wish I had seen that,” she said, reaching for a shot glass. Lottie blushed slightly as Katie handed her another. 

“Well, I don’t think I’ll have to worry about him,” Lottie said. The smile then faded from her face. “But still have to deal with Marcus and Oliver.” She looked from Penny to Katie. 

“Do you know what you’re going to do?” Katie asked. Lottie looked at her shot glass a moment and then shook her head.

“No clue. But I don’t want to think about it for tonight. I’ll worry about that tomorrow,” she said before tossing back the shot and wincing. 

“That’s one way to look at it,” Penny said before taking her own shot, Katie following suit. Penny then reached for the bottle and started pouring them more. “Well… let us distract you for the night. You can worry about which handsome beau to choose tomorrow.” 

“Sounds like a wonderful plan - finally the girls’ night that I wanted,” Lottie said, holding her full glass out. She smiled at them. “To friends always willing to get you pissed so you can forget about your troubles.”

“No, to Lottie Bell being a badass,” Penny said. 

“I’ll drink to that,” Katie said. They clinked the glasses together and then drank. 

“Oh, this is going to be a night…” 

“As if it wasn’t one already…”


	17. To Make a Choice (Part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lottie finally makes her choice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you are Team Wood - keep reading. If you're Team Flint, skip to the next chapter.

**To Make A Choice**

Lottie groaned as she shuffled out of her room the next morning and stopped, taking in the mess that was her living room. The empty tequila bottle sat on the table next to the glasses, along with a few other bottles that were varying degrees of empty, dirty plates and empty crisp bags.

She couldn’t remember when Penny and Katie left last night but had a vague recollection of them helping her into bed.

Sighing, she continued her trek to the kitchen for much-needed water and some pain potion for the pounding headache she currently had. If there was any sort of luck in the world, she might find some hangover tonic, but she couldn’t remember if she ever had Charlie make her a new batch.

She chugged a fair amount of water before waving her wand and putting on a pot of coffee. She then dug through her potion cabinet, groaning again when she saw the empty bottle of hangover tonic. Looked as though she were going to have to suffer through the hangover the old-fashioned way, though at least she had some pain potion.

She took a sip of it, sighing in relief when the pain slowly began to subside though she was still a bit tired and ragged. Once the coffee was finished, she poured a mug, picked up her wand and a bottle of water and shuffled back into the living room. Putting down the coffee and water on the table, she then waved her wand, muttering a spell under her breath that had last night’s mess clean itself up. The empty bottles went into her recycling box, while the rubbish went to the bin and the other bottles went back to her liquor cabinet.

On days like today, Lottie loved being a witch.

With that taken care of, she sat down, took a sip of coffee and then sighed again. Lottie had hoped that cleaning up the flat would help clean up her mind, but that was still a tangled mess of thoughts. 

Everyone knew about her, Marcus and Oliver. There wasn’t anything she could do about that, so decided not to dwell on it. Besides, it wasn’t as though it affected the decision she needed to make that much.

She then focused on the fact that Marcus and Oliver knew about each other and neither had told her. Truthfully, she was a bit upset by this. But at the same time, it would have taken a miracle for them not to find out considering they spent a vast majority of their days around each other. It was really only a matter of time.

Okay, so that she figured she could let slide. For now, at least. 

This all led to the big decision. Who did she want to be with? Did she want to be with either? If she chose one how would that affect her relationship with the other? Could they still be friends at least? Because at this point, Lottie knew that it would be difficult to completely cut either one of the men out of her life.

But then if she did choose one man, would the one she chose be okay with her still being friends with the other?

Lottie groaned and dropped her head into her hands. This is why she hadn’t been able to make a decision before now. Too many questions.

She then looked up and pushed off the sofa, starting to pace in a slow circle around the living room.

“Okay, Lottie. You are an adult. You can figure this out,” she muttered to herself. “Just… okay. Pros and cons. First, Oliver…”

He was kind. Thoughtful. Understood her and always seemed to have. He noticed her back in school. He showed that he could be romantic. She loved his family and he got on with hers. He was a good man. Made her feel comfortable and safe.

He didn’t challenge her. He got on with her brothers too well. The Gryffindor in him would always likely want to try and protect her, when she could take care of herself. He was _safe_. 

But Marcus on the other hand…

He could be exciting. He was continually surprising her. There was something about him that pushed her out of her comfort zone in the right sort of ways. He was different. He was a good man. There was a vulnerability to him that Lottie hadn’t known before. He was alone. He needed someone like her.

Her brothers couldn’t stand him. Would he be able to fit in with her family? Did _Lottie_ need him? He was secretive, but was it out of distrust or did it just take a long time to get to know him? Would he ever fully open up to her? He didn’t know her the way Oliver did. Had only noticed her after she had changed. He _had_ bullied her in school.

Lottie stopped pacing and ran her fingers through her hair. She was going in circles here. It was the same lists over and over again. Nothing had changed since the first time she compared the two.

“You aren’t going to figure this out with lists and charts,” she told herself firmly. “This is a matter of the heart.” 

She walked over to the sofa and lay down, staring up at the ceiling. How the fuck was she supposed to make a decision? But she knew she couldn’t speak to either until she did.

Time started to pass and Lottie lost track of how long she lay there staring at her ceiling. She didn’t even realize her eyes blinking closed.

~~~

Lottie pulled her coat collar up against the strong, cold breeze, then shoved her hands into her pockets, gripping her wand as she looked around the deserted street. It was odd. There should be more people around at this time of day.

She glanced up at the overcast sky, wondering just why she had an off feeling in the pit of her stomach. Something was wrong, but she couldn’t quite place her finger on what it was. 

Onward, she continued, not knowing just where it was she was attempting to go. She just knew that she needed to keep walking. Keep moving. 

She rounded a corner and froze, seeing a dark figure up ahead, quickly moving down the street. Her eyes narrowed as a surge of adrenaline flooded through her. Weeks of searching for the bastard and there he was. Practically gift wrapped for her.

Lottie launched forward, her wand out of her pocket and already slicing through the air as she sent a stunning charm towards Wickers. But just before it hit him, he stopped and turned, the spell bouncing off a shield. 

“So, you’re the one searching for me,” he called out in a deep gravelly voice. “Becoming a thorn in my side.” 

Lottie didn’t say anything, just studied him silently. He looked younger than she was expected, though there was a hardness to his eyes and sharp angles to his face. He grinned slowly, his dark eyes fixed on her. He moved his wand, sending a hex at her, though his lips didn’t move.

She quickly put up a shield charm and then sent another spell towards him, the two entering into a furious back and forth. 

“All you aurors are the fucking same. What makes you think you’ll be the one to bring me in?!” he shouted. 

“Just what makes you think that you’ll get away?!” Lottie shouted back, slowly starting to gain some ground. She was getting closer to him.

“LOTTIE!”

She turned her head slightly, seeing Oliver run out from an alley. 

“GET OUT OF HERE!” she shouted back, dodging the hex just before it hit her. Oliver was already running towards her. “NO! GET BACK!”

“LOTTIE!”

She whipped her head over to see Marcus coming out of another alley on the other side of the street. 

“Well, this is interesting,” Wickers said. Lottie locked eyes with him just before he waved his wand, shooting off two more hexes in rapid succession. 

“NO!” she shouted as she began running. Both of them were running towards her and neither saw the hexes heading towards their backs. She pushed herself to move faster, knowing that she couldn’t put up shields for both. 

Time slowed as she pumped her legs and arms, the air barely reaching her lungs. 

_“Can’t… lose him….”_

Lottie launched herself forward as she stuck her wand out, casting a spell just before she collided with his tall, hard body, the two of them hitting the ground and rolling. When they came to a stop, she just stared down at Oliver, her eyes wide as she breathed heavily.

“Are you okay? Did he hit you?” she asked quickly.

“I’m… I’m fine,” he said. Lottie began kissing his face.

“I told you to get away,” she said urgently between kisses.

“Lottie…” 

“Don’t ever do that again!” she snapped, now staring down at him again.

“Think you could let me up? We should check on Flint,” Oliver replied, smiling slightly. Lottie froze for a moment before hopping up and turning to Marcus. He stood there, unscathed, though Wickers was nowhere to be found.

“Where did he go?” Lottie asked, already scanning the street.

“Disappeared as soon as the hex bounced off the shield,” he said, a sad smile on his face. Lottie turned back at him, her brow furrowed.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

“Seems you made your choice,” Marcus said. She blinked a few times, then looked to the ground.

“I… did…”

~~~

Lottie shot up from the sofa, gasping loudly as she looked around her flat. It was still daytime, though from the shadows, it was sometime later. She turned and rubbed her face.

“It was just a dream,” she murmured, though her heart was pounding. 

Wickers had tried to kill Marcus and Oliver. She had chosen to throw herself in front of Oliver. 

Looking up, Lottie realized that all along, she had always been more drawn to him. He was her first crush, after all. Had always seen her when she thought no one else had. Been kind to her when others had not been. Already she felt as though he were part of her life even though everything had changed.

“It’s always been Oliver,” she whispered to herself as a smile broke out. It was as though a heavy weight had been lifted from her chest. “It’s always been him.” 

She then launched off the sofa, running to her bathroom. She needed to see him. Now. But not while she was still wearing last night’s makeup and her pyjamas.

~~~

Oliver made his way towards his door, wondering just who would be banging on it on a Sunday evening. Well, that’s not true. He was worried that it was Lottie come to yell at him after what happened at the party last night. He should have known it was a set-up by George when he saw her face as she walked into the flat.

He had had a couple drinks with Flint then headed home, not really feeling up to a party after everything. Not to mention, people kept looking at him and Flint and whispering. Neither really knew where they stood with Lottie at the moment. She looked upset when she left, for good reason. He wouldn’t be surprised if she decided to have nothing to do with either of them again.

But still, the thought made his heart twist. The thought of not being around Lottie - in any capacity - brought a heavy feeling to his chest. Oliver only hoped that he would have the chance to try and make things up to her. At the very least that they could stay friends.

He stopped in front of the door a moment, steeling himself, before he reached down for the knob and pulled the door open. Lottie stood there, looking as though she had hastily thrown on some clothes before coming over. The ends of her hair were still damp. What on earth could this mean?

“Lottie,” he said. 

Without another word, Lottie launched herself forward as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him so fiercely that he was propelled back a few steps. While he was curious as to what brought about this reaction, he decided to go with it, bringing his hands to rest on her waist. 

Lottie finally stepped back for air, staring up into his eyes.

“Don’t ever pull another stunt like you did with Aiden,” she said seriously. Oliver shook his head quickly.

“Lesson learned,” he replied.

“And no more secrets,” she said. “I’m still sore that you hid the fact that both you and Flint knew.” 

“Right,” Oliver said. It then hit him why she was there. Why she was kissing him. “Wait… does this mean…” Lottie grinned. 

“When it hit me, I realized that it’s always been you,” she said. “You saw me when no one else did… you always understood me… made me feel safe… accepted me. I mean, you were my first crush and all…”

Oliver couldn’t help the grin that came over his face as he looked down at her. She had chosen him. After everything, she chose _him_. 

“Does this mean I can start calling you my girlfriend?” he asked, raising an eyebrow at her. Lottie laughed loudly, tossing her head back slightly.

“Yes, Oliver,” she finally said. 

“Grand,” he said before bending down and kissing her again. He then easily lifted her up, Lottie wrapping her legs around as he turned and started walking towards his bedroom. 

Lottie Bell had chosen him.

~~~

_Six Months Later_

Lottie sat back down in her seat, still cheering as her eyes were fixed on the match. 

“Brilliant save,” she said, turning to look at Penny sitting next to her.

“We get it. He’s your boyfriend. You don’t have to say it every time he stops the damn quaffle,” Penny said dryly, though she was smiling. Lottie chuckled and turned back to the game. “By the way, how was your first week as team leader?” 

“Brilliant,” Lottie said, still watching the match. “Potter’s doing well as are the others. Couldn’t ask for a better team, really.”

“It’s about damn time, if you ask me,” Penny said. “Took the Ministry long enough to work through all the damn paperwork. You brought in Wickers three months ago.”

“Well, and then they were dealing with Aiden’s termination. Loads of back and forth between them and MACUSA over that one,” Lottie said with a sigh. She looked over at Penny, starting to grin again. “But at least it's all worked itself out.”

“I always knew you’d get there eventually,” Penny said. “Even when you didn’t.” 

“I know,” Lottie replied.

“How did Bernie take it?” Penny asked. Lottie chuckled.

“Threw me a party with Adam,” she replied.

“Well that’s a nice change from their usual antics,” Penny replied. 

“Yea, well, they gave Oliver ‘the talk’ at it,” Lottie added. 

“Okay, now _that_ sounds about their usual speed,” Penny said.

Lottie couldn’t help as her grin widened as she looked over to Oliver, hovering in front of the hoops as he watched the chasers on the other end of the pitch. _Her boyfriend_ , Oliver. She still got a bit of a thrill every time she thought or said it.

Her gaze then travelled over, finding Marcus in the middle of the fray. He had taken the news rather well. She supposed in a way, they all had known that she would eventually end up with Oliver. But it hadn’t stopped her friendship with Marcus. While things were a bit awkward at first, the three had settled into a comfortable space finally.

In fact, Marcus had mentioned the other day that he had asked someone out, though he was scant on the details. Lottie and Oliver were both curious as to who it was, though no amount of prodding would get him to fess up. Said he wanted to see where things went first. 

“Still can’t understand just how it is you manage to stay friends with Flint,” Penny said, as though she sensed the direction of Lottie’s thoughts.

“Not that hard,” Lottie said, still watching the match. “Well, okay, so it was awkward at first. Not like we started having lunches and tea and whatnot the day after Oliver and I got together.”

“You _were_ dating both of them at the same time. Nearly slept with both, as I recall,” Penny said. Lottie looked over at her, an eyebrow raised.

“Yea, after you suggested it,” she shot back. Penny chuckled. 

“It was a reasonable suggestion. Though you didn’t need it,” Penny said. 

“Glad we didn’t. Don’t think we could have stayed friends if we had,” Lottie said, turning back to the match. “But it’s fine. Still don’t expect the two of them to be best friends, but Oliver is okay with me still being friends with Marcus.”

“At least there’s that…”

~~~

“Can’t believe that you’re really okay with it,” Adrian said. Marcus lifted an eyebrow at him and then looked across the bar in the direction Pucey was looking in. He saw Wood and Lottie standing with Katie Bell and their other friends, his arm around her waist. He turned to look down at her, grinning, before pecking her on the lips.

“He won fair and square,” Marcus replied with a shrug. “And it was months ago. We only went on a few dates as it was.”

“But still-”

“It’s fine, Pucey,” Marcus said tiredly. It was, but he was tired of having the same conversation with his friend over and over again. Pucey was a bigger sore loser than he was, it appeared. “She chose him. I’m not about to wallow in self-pity for six months. And the way I see it, saved me a lot of grief. Now _he_ gets to deal with her brothers.”

“After all our hard work…”

Marcus rolled his eyes and walked over to the bar to get another drink and away from his friend. Pucey was starting to annoy him. He flagged down the barkeep and ordered, then stood waiting.

“Fancy meeting you here…”

He glanced over, seeing Penny Clearwater leaning against the bar. She was looking at him out of the corner of her eye, a small smirk on her face, before she turned to smile at the barkeep and order her own drink.

“I am on the team,” he replied with a sigh, his face neutral, though his eyes were twinkling. 

“Oh, that _is_ right, isn’t it?” Penny said.

“Probably wouldn’t forget if you came to more matches,” he stated.

“If I didn’t have a job, I’m sure I could, but I do spend a fair amount of time doing important work at the Ministry,” she said lightly, smiling as the barkeep handed her a drink.

“Yes, of course. Very important work,” Marcus said, turning to face her after nodding towards the barkeep and accepting his own. Penny stared up at him, her familiar smug grin spread across her face. 

“See you Tuesday night,” she said softly before walking off. Marcus chuckled before taking a drink and watching her make her way over to Oliver and Lottie.

“See you Tuesday…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Right... I couldn't decided who I wanted Lottie to end up with, so I wrote both endings. Surprise!


	18. To Make a Choice (Part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lottie makes her decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you are Team Flint - keep reading! If you're Team Wood, go back to the previous chapter. ^_^

**To Make A Choice**

Lottie groaned as she shuffled out of her room the next morning and stopped, taking in the mess that was her living room. The empty tequila bottle sat on the table next to the glasses, along with a few other bottles that were varying degrees of empty, dirty plates and empty crisp bags.

She couldn’t remember when Penny and Katie left last night but had a vague recollection of them helping her into bed.

Sighing, she continued her trek to the kitchen for much-needed water and some pain potion for the pounding headache she currently had. If there was any sort of luck in the world, she might find some hangover tonic, but she couldn’t remember if she ever had Charlie make her a new batch.

She chugged a fair amount of water before waving her wand and putting on a pot of coffee. She then dug through her potion cabinet, groaning again when she saw the empty bottle of hangover tonic. Looked as though she were going to have to suffer through the hangover the old-fashioned way, though at least she had some pain potion.

She took a sip of it, sighing in relief when the pain slowly began to subside though she was still a bit tired and ragged. Once the coffee was finished, she poured a mug, picked up her wand and a bottle of water and shuffled back into the living room. Putting down the coffee and water on the table, she then waved her wand, muttering a spell under her breath that had last night’s mess clean itself up. The empty bottles went into her recycling box, while the rubbish went to the bin and the other bottles went back to her liquor cabinet.

On days like today, Lottie loved being a witch.

With that taken care of, she sat down, took a sip of coffee and then sighed again. Lottie had hoped that cleaning up the flat would help clean up her mind, but that was still a tangled mess of thoughts. 

Everyone knew about her, Marcus and Oliver. There wasn’t anything she could do about that, so decided not to dwell on it. Besides, it wasn’t as though it affected the decision she needed to make that much.

She then focused on the fact that Marcus and Oliver knew about each other and neither had told her. Truthfully, she was a bit upset by this. But at the same time, it would have taken a miracle for them not to find out considering they spent a vast majority of their days around each other. It was really only a matter of time.

Okay, so that she figured she could let slide. For now, at least. 

This all led to the big decision. Who did she want to be with? Did she want to be with either? If she chose one how would that affect her relationship with the other? Could they still be friends at least? Because at this point, Lottie knew that it would be difficult to completely cut either one of the men out of her life.

But then if she did choose one man, would the one she chose be okay with her still being friends with the other?

Lottie groaned and dropped her head into her hands. This is why she hadn’t been able to make a decision before now. Too many questions.

She then looked up and pushed off the sofa, starting to pace in a slow circle around the living room.

“Okay, Lottie. You are an adult. You can figure this out,” she muttered to herself. “Just… okay. Pros and cons. First, Oliver…”

He was kind. Thoughtful. Understood her and always seemed to have. He noticed her back in school. He showed that he could be romantic. She loved his family and he got on with hers. He was a good man. Made her feel comfortable and safe.

He didn’t challenge her. He got on with her brothers too well. The Gryffindor in him would always likely want to try and protect her, when she could take care of herself. He was _safe_. 

But Marcus on the other hand…

He could be exciting. He was continually surprising her. There was something about him that pushed her out of her comfort zone in the right sort of ways. He was different. He was a good man. There was a vulnerability to him that Lottie hadn’t known before. He was alone. He needed someone like her.

Her brothers couldn’t stand him. Would he be able to fit in with her family? Did _Lottie_ need him? He was secretive, but was it out of distrust or did it just take a long time to get to know him? Would he ever fully open up to her? He didn’t know her the way Oliver did. Had only noticed her after she had changed. He _had_ bullied her in school.

Lottie stopped pacing and ran her fingers through her hair. She was going in circles here. It was the same lists over and over again. Nothing had changed since the first time she compared the two.

“You aren’t going to figure this out with lists and charts,” she told herself firmly. “This is a matter of the heart.” 

She walked over to the sofa and lay down, staring up at the ceiling. How the fuck was she supposed to make a decision? But she knew she couldn’t speak to either until she did.

Time started to pass and Lottie lost track of how long she lay there staring at her ceiling. She didn’t even realize her eyes blinking closed.

~~~

Lottie pulled her coat collar up against the strong, cold breeze, then shoved her hands into her pockets, gripping her wand as she looked around the deserted street. It was odd. There should be more people around at this time of day.

She glanced up at the overcast sky, wondering just why she had an off feeling in the pit of her stomach. Something was wrong, but she couldn’t quite place her finger on what it was. 

Onward, she continued, not knowing just where it was she was attempting to go. She just knew that she needed to keep walking. Keep moving. 

She rounded a corner and froze, seeing a dark figure up ahead, quickly moving down the street. Her eyes narrowed as a surge of adrenaline flooded through her. Weeks of searching for the bastard and there he was. Practically gift wrapped for her.

Lottie launched forward, her wand out of her pocket and already slicing through the air as she sent a stunning charm towards Wickers. But just before it hit him, he stopped and turned, the spell bouncing off a shield. 

“So, you’re the one searching for me,” he called out in a deep gravelly voice. “Becoming a thorn in my side.” 

Lottie didn’t say anything, just studied him silently. He looked younger than she was expected, though there was a hardness to his eyes and sharp angles to his face. He grinned slowly, his dark eyes fixed on her. He moved his wand, sending a hex at her, though his lips didn’t move.

She quickly put up a shield charm and then sent another spell towards him, the two entering into a furious back and forth. 

“All you aurors are the fucking same. What makes you think you’ll be the one to bring me in?!” he shouted. 

“Just what makes you think that you’ll get away?!” Lottie shouted back, slowly starting to gain some ground. She was getting closer to him.

“LOTTIE!”

She turned her head slightly, seeing Oliver run out from an alley. 

“GET OUT OF HERE!” she shouted back, dodging the hex just before it hit her. Oliver was already running towards her. “NO! GET BACK!”

“LOTTIE!”

She whipped her head over to see Marcus coming out of another alley on the other side of the street. 

“Well, this is interesting,” Wickers said. Lottie locked eyes with him just before he waved his wand, shooting off two more hexes in rapid succession. 

“NO!” she shouted as she began running. Both of them were running towards her and neither saw the hexes heading towards their backs. She pushed herself to move faster, knowing that she couldn’t put up shields for both. 

Time slowed as she pumped her legs and arms, the air barely reaching her lungs. 

_“Can’t… lose him….”_

Lottie launched herself forward as she stuck her wand out, casting a spell just before she collided with his tall, hard body, the two of them hitting the ground and rolling. When they came to a stop, she just stared down at Marcus, her eyes wide as she breathed heavily.

“Are you okay? Did he hit you?” she asked quickly.

“I’m… I’m fine,” he said. Lottie began kissing his face.

“I told you to get away,” she said urgently between kisses.

“Lottie…” 

“Don’t ever do that again!” she snapped, now staring down at him again.

“Think you could let me up? We should check on Wood,” Marcus replied, smirking. Lottie froze for a moment before hopping up and turning to Oliver. He stood there, unscathed, though Wickers was nowhere to be found.

“Where did he go?” Lottie asked, already scanning the street.

“Disappeared as soon as the hex bounced off the shield,” he said, a sad smile on his face. Lottie turned back at him, her brow furrowed.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

“Seems you made your choice,” Oliver said. She blinked a few times, then looked to the ground.

“I… did…”

~~~

Lottie shot up on the sofa, gasping slightly as her heart pounded. She turned, tossing her legs over, as she rubbed her face. The sun was still up, but from the looks of the shadows in her living room, she had been asleep for some time.

“It was only a dream,” she murmured. “Only a dream…”

She then looked up, her eyes wide. Wickers had tried to kill Oliver and Marcus. She couldn’t put up shields fast enough for both. She had chosen to throw herself in front of Marcus. 

“Marcus,” she whispered as the maelstrom in her head finally quieted and everything fell into place. All the worries she had before didn’t matter. 

Sure, Oliver had been her first crush. Made her comfortable, but she wasn’t that girl anymore. She was someone completely different and Marcus saw that. Oliver would always be a dear friend, but Marcus… he was her future. 

Lottie shot up from the sofa and headed towards her bedroom. She needed to see him. Tell him. But first, a shower.

~~~

Marcus sat on the sofa, flipping through the Prophet, but then ended up tossing it aside and sitting up on the sofa, rubbing his face. 

He really screwed things up. 

At the time, he thought he and Wood were making the right move with Aiden. Protecting Lottie. But in the process had ignored the fact that she was completely capable of taking care of herself. Something she had more than made clear last night. And plenty of times before that.

Then there was the whole fact that he and Wood were so caught up in their little feud that neither thought how Lottie might take it when she found out. He wasn’t sure just how he had intended on telling her the truth, but it most certainly did not include having everything come out at a party in front of loads of people.

He had barely slept the night before, worrying that he had royally fucked up what could have possibly been one of the best things in his life. If she ever spoke to him again, he wasn’t even sure what to say to her to try and make up for it. But Merlin, he would give just about anything for the opportunity to at least try.

Sighing, he stood and walked towards his kitchen, thinking he should make some tea to try and calm his frazzled mind. But once there, he found himself going to the firewhiskey. Just as he was about to pour, there was a frantic knocking at his door. He stopped, looking towards it, his brow furrowed. The knocking came again, this time a bit more urgent.

He put down the bottle and walked to the door, not hesitating to pull it open. 

Lottie was standing there, slightly out of breath. 

“Lottie,” he said, surprised to see her. “Did you… did you run here?”

“Just shut up and kiss me, Marcus,” she said before grabbing the front of his shirt and yanking him down to her. 

What the hell was going on? Was he dreaming?

No, he wasn’t, he decided as he closed his eyes, his hands wrapping around her waist as he pulled her closer. He could feel Lottie’s hands running through his short hair as he deepened the kiss. 

This was real and most definitely happening. Though for the life of him he couldn’t understand how or why. Though it really didn’t matter to him in that moment.

After some time, Lottie stepped back, breathing heavily.

“I’ll never do that again… keep secrets from you like that,” he vowed before she could speak. “Or step in for you.” She raised an eyebrow at him.

“Good,” she said. 

“I know you are capable of fighting your own battles,” he added for good measure. Lottie chuckled. 

“Seems there’s no need to ream you out then,” she said before kissing him again. Marcus managed to pull her into the flat and shut the door before pressing her up against it. 

“Wait, but… Wood,” Marcus said, pulling away again. Lottie smiled at him.

“Thought it was obvious… I chose you,” she said. His eyes widened as he stared down at her. 

“Me?” he asked. “But… figured… you have history and-”

“Shh. Exactly. We have history. But I’m not Smelly Bells anymore. I’m Lottie. And I want to be with you,” she said firmly. “May have taken you a fair bit of time to notice me, but… I can’t imagine being with anyone else right now.” Marcus grinned down at her. 

Part of him couldn’t believe that this was actually happening. They were going to be together. She had chosen him. 

“Besides, I think I promised you that you wouldn’t be alone,” she added softly. Marcus leaned his forehead against hers.

“You have no idea how happy I am right now,” he said.

“Think I have a decent idea,” Lottie remarked, a small, smug smile on her face. He chuckled and kissed her again, more than thrilled when she kissed back with abandon. 

She had chosen _him_.

~~~

_Six Months Later_

Lottie chuckled as she listened to Katie rehash a particularly funny injury that had befallen Davies earlier in the week, then glanced around the bar. The chaser had thankfully been in fine, working order that day and helped Puddlemere pull off the win, even if Maddie hadn’t caught the snitch. 

Though part of that was also thanks to Oliver, who had pulled off some spectacular saves. She met his eyes across the room, and he nodded, raising his glass to her. 

“So, it’s true… you two really are friends,” Alicia said, getting Lottie’s attention. She looked back to the group, taking in their various expressions. Katie was smiling, while Penny had her usual smirk. Angelina was rolling her eyes at Alicia, who wore a look of shock. 

“Yes,” Lottie said. “Why wouldn’t we be? Just because we didn’t work out as a couple doesn’t mean friendship was off the table. And really, when you think about it, we are much better suited as friends.” Katie gave Alicia an “I told you so,” look as the chaser huffed slightly before turning and walking off.

“It’s been six months. Even Wood is over it,” Penny said with a chuckle. “Not sure why she’s put out.”

“She lost money betting on it,” Angelina said. 

“To whom?” Lottie asked. Angelina grinned. 

“Me,” she replied before walking over to George. 

“I did not see that one coming,” Penny commented. She then turned to Lottie. “So, Ms. Bigshot Team Leader, how was your first week bossing people around?” Lottie laughed.

“I do not boss people around. And it’s just Potter and two others, so not like I even have a large team,” she replied. “But it feels amazing.”

“I still can’t believe that wanker Aiden did that to you,” Katie said, now frowning. Lottie shrugged. 

“I would have gotten a promotion eventually. Even if MACUSA hadn’t figured out he doctored those reports and then shared it with the Ministry,” Lottie said lightly. 

“Helps you brought in that dark wizard a few months ago. Tell me again how Bernie took it,” Penny begged. Lottie laughed and shook her head. He had been gobsmacked. But once he had regained the ability to speak, he congratulated her more exuberantly than anyone else. 

“At least he’s laying off at work, yea?” Katie asked. Lottie nodded. “He and Adam any closer to warming up to Flint?” Penny snorted as Lottie shot her a look.

“They’re getting better,” she said. Penny just laughed loudly. “They are!”

“Only because he gave them box tickets to a few matches as penance,” Penny said. Lottie just huffed and rolled her eyes.

“What’s this about box tickets? You know you only have to ask if you want them, Clearwater,” Marcus said as he walked up, holding a glass out to Lottie before kissing her cheek and wrapping his arm around her waist.

“I am fine in that regard,” Penny replied. “We were talking about you bribing your way into Bernard and Adam’s good graces.” 

“They were actually nice the last time we saw them, right?” he asked, looking down at Lottie. She nodded, though glanced away as she took a drink. “What did you do?”

“Nothing! Well… may have possibly slipped something into their pints a few nights before we met up with them…” she admitted. Katie started chuckling as Penny laughed again. Lottie looked up at Marcus, who was frowning slightly. “May have been whatever it was that George slipped you…” 

The frown faded as Marcus grinned. He kissed her lightly on the lips. 

“May make a Slytherin out of you yet,” he said. 

“I’m still very much a Ravenclaw, if you haven’t noticed,” Lottie replied primly, though she was still smiling. 

“You’re brilliant, that’s what you are,” Marcus replied. 

“Gag me,” Penny said before walking off to get another drink. Lottie chuckled as she looked over at Katie.

“How’s things with that bloke of yours?” she asked. Katie just shrugged and smiled.

“Good,” she said. “Going out again this weekend.” Lottie smiled at her.

“What’s that make? Four dates in the last couple of weeks?” she asked. 

“Something like that,” she said. “Though… Lee Jordan asked me out the other day…” Lottie’s mouth dropped open. 

“What did you say?” she asked. Katie just shrugged and smiled slyly.

“Told him I’d think about it. Not sure I can handle dating two blokes at once. Learned from your example,” she said, grinning. Lottie frowned at her and started to say something.

“I think we all learned a lot from that whole thing,” Marcus said, interrupting her. “But hey, we got each other out of it, didn’t we?” Lottie looked up at him, starting to smile.

“Suppose so,” she said before kissing him. 

“And George and Lee learned not to mess with you ever again,” Katie added. 

“Pucey too,” Marcus said. Lottie looked over at Oliver. 

“Wonder what he got out of it?” she murmured. 

“How to put himself out there,” Marcus said. “Been seeing this lass that plays chaser for the Kestrals.” Lottie looked over at Marcus, her eyes wide. 

“He didn’t say anything to me,” she replied. Marcus chuckled as he looked down at her. 

“Probably wouldn’t. But about convinced him to bring her out with us, so you’ll meet her soon enough,” he replied.

“Marcus Flint going on a double date with Wood. I should check and see if hell is frozen over,” Katie said with a snort. Lottie just continued smiling up at him.

“Things change,” she said. 

“That they do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long story short, couldn't decide between Oliver and Marcus, so they both got a chapter where they ended up with Lottie.

**Author's Note:**

> So, I wanted to do a sort of Oliver Wood vs. Marcus Flint rom-com with another story that I started, but it didn't work out for that one. But the idea would not leave me alone, so this is the result. 
> 
> It is slightly based a bit on the movie "This Means War" with Reese Witherspoon, Chris Pine and Tom Hardy. The basic plot is inspired from it as are some of the situations. But it's different at the same time (obviously). Hope you guys enjoy!


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